Total Drama: Wawanakwa Island
by P R O J E C T - D R A M A
Summary: With the summer of 2007 arriving, Total Drama was ready to premiere its first season. In this alternate universe, twenty-four different contestants will compete against each other while attempting to survive camp life, being filmed almost 24/7, and even the island itself. Who will reign supreme and win the prize of one million dollars? Find out by reading this story! SYOC!
1. Episode 00, Part 01 - Opportunity

**Hello there, fellow reader! Thank you for clicking on this story and giving it a consideration for reading! Now, before we get on with the chapter, allow me to introduce myself as Project Drama! You can also call me Project or P.D. for short.**

**Although this will be my first published story on Fanfiction, I have written Total Drama stories, and stories in general in the past. So I'm just gonna make this announcement… this will be an SYOC story. Yes, yes, bring in the groans and negative comments about how I'll abandon it. And if you believe that I will abandon this story, then you have every right to not submit a character or two. But if you do trust me, best believe I'll do my best to make you proud!**

**So with everything being said for now, let's get right into the chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

The bright sun was shining down just as a cool breeze came drifting softly across the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada; the white clouds were floating peacefully in the clear, blue sky. Many birds of different species were flying around in the sky, enjoying the warm weather that was provided for them by Mother Nature.

It was also the perfect weather for the humans as well, given that Canada didn't have too many warm days, let alone ones that were around seventy-five degrees in Fahrenheit. It wasn't too hot to the point where someone could easily suffer from a heatstroke, and it wasn't too cold to the point where someone could easily catch the common cold. The weather was perfect for going outside and engaging in a variety of different activities, all of which were able to provide comfort and entertainment for people of all ages.

And the weather arrived at the right day as well; today was the twenty-eighth of June, which was a Thursday since the year was currently two-thousand-seven. It was the first day that all of the young kids, teenagers, and adults got to enjoy summer break after months of dealing with school. Even though the summer season had arrived earlier in June, many agreed that it would be better to enjoy it at the end of the month.

Some called it a miracle to be blessed with the perfect weather on the first official day of summer break. After taking their breaks and naps yesterday, many of them were ready to go outside and do fun activities for the whole day. From playing in their backyards to visiting the Toronto City Center, they were all ready to create memories that would last them for years to come in the future.

Even those who decided to stay indoors still had their fair share of fun and entertainment. From playing video games to sleeping in until the afternoon, it didn't matter if they spent their day outside at another location or inside their own home. What was most important was that they felt comfortable and entertained doing whatever they were doing. And it didn't matter if it was by themselves or with other people.

But not everyone was able to have free time to relax and enjoy themselves; many people, especially the older adults, still had to endure multiple hours of work. Despite their complaints about how miserable their jobs were, money was an essential for survival in the human society. So ultimately, they just had to suck it up and continue to hope for a better, and financially secured future.

And while working was already stressful and tiring enough, getting to work was another story. It was especially for those who had work in the morning or afternoon that they could understand this problem… traffic jams. Many of them took Highway 401, one of the widest and busiest freeways in North America. Even if one wasn't trying to get to work or somewhere important, the traffic jams on this particular freeway could even make the calmest people lose their cool. And taking the local streets not only took longer, but it also had its own fair share of traffic jams.

One of those people who were driving on the freeway right now was a man, who was currently driving a blue, 2007 Honda Civic. As it was approaching a traffic jam, it appeared to be very clean and polished, like it was just bought from a car dealership and taken to a car wash right after. Upon further inspection, the interior of the car appeared to be very clean as well, having no evidence of dirtiness, whatsoever. Other than an unopened first aid kit, there wasn't anything else in the back.

In the front, there was a cup holder that held two water bottles, both of which were full, unopened, and fresh from the refrigerator. It was confirmed that there was a man driving the car, but there was also a woman sitting next to him in the passenger seat. She appeared to be reading a magazine, her head resting against the seat and feeling relaxed so she could read with comfort. The man, on the other hand, wasn't able to relax against his seat because he had to focus on driving, his eyes staring forward at the road in front of him.

The fair skinned man appeared to be young and very handsome, having an attractive physical appearance. He has large black eyes and his slightly long, raven black hair appears to be combed after going through a layer or two of hair gel. His current attire consists of: a turquoise dress shirt with a blue tuxedo over it, not to mention a red bow tie attached to the shirt, blue dress pants, and brown formal shoes.

The fair skinned woman appeared to be older than the man, but was still very attractive, and could pass as a young person in society. She has large, light brown eyes and her shoulder-length, brown hair appears to be straight and styled into a simple ponytail. Her current attire consists of: a white blouse, blue jeans, and black-and-white sneakers. It's also worth mentioning that she has a pearl piercing on both ear lobes.

As they were traveling down the freeway in silence, the stereo was providing them a variety of different music genres, ranging from hip-hop to classical. Upon reaching the traffic jam, the man pressed on the brakes after going nearly seventy miles per hour. And once other vehicles filled in the lanes that were next to them, it was very clear that they were gonna have to wait.

The woman looked up from her magazine at what was in front of her before looking back down to continue reading, having no reaction to the traffic jam. The man sighed in disappointment, not wanting to deal with the situation. Even with peaceful music playing on the stereo, it was still difficult for him to maintain his cool.

"Dammit! We just had to be caught in a traffic jam at this time!" the man began to complain. "Now we're definitely gonna be late for my interview!"

As he continued to complain about the predicament, the woman was still focused on the magazine and was ignoring everything that he was saying. It was starting to get on her nerves, but not enough to the point where she had to say something. The music and the juicy stories of Canadian celebrities were enough to distract her from the whole situation.

But her tranquil state wouldn't last much longer, as the man's whining and complaining started to become really annoying. So much to the point that she turned up the stereo's volume to let the music overthrow the man's voice.

The man sighed once more, "The fact that we had to leave the house so late just irritates me! I told you that taking the local streets was a better idea, but you insisted on going through 'Highway Hell' because it was part of the fastest route that the GPS could find!"

It was obvious that the "you" was referring to the woman, as she finally had enough of his behavior. She closed the magazine and turned off the stereo, leaving the car to run without any music at all. The man turned to face her, his mouth no longer yapping about anything.

His attempt to question her about the sudden absence of music was futile because she had already started to speak before he could say anything, "That's enough, Christopher! I've had it with your childish behavior!"

Christopher immediately went into silent mode after hearing the woman raise her voice at him; she continued to scold him with a glare, "You're always putting the blame on me whenever things don't go as planned! And yet, you were the one who woke up at ten in the morning, knowing well that your interview was gonna take place at noon! You knew that getting to Muskoka was gonna take a while, and you had the nerve to spend almost forty minutes eating scrambled eggs and bacon! No one takes that long to eat breakfast!"

He didn't notice that there was a good amount of open space in front of him, and a honk from one of the nearby vehicles caught his attention. Facing the front once more, he quickly moved his car forward to fill the space before someone else could claim it. At least they were getting closer to their destination, even if it was still twenty-five minutes away, according to the GPS that was on his lap.

The whiny driver attempted to steer the conversation away from the mistakes he made this morning, "Uh, Mom? Let's just save this conversation for another –"

"No!" she interrupted him with a yell. "You are gonna listen to what I have to say! I don't care if you're trying to focus on driving right now! You do not act like a little child and start throwing a tantrum because of the mistakes you made! You're an adult man and you still have the behavior of an elementary school boy!"

Even if he didn't show it, her words did manage to affect him. Trying to find the best way to ease the tension, Christopher quickly turned on the stereo, hoping that the music would calm her down.

But just as he quickly turned it on, his mother quickly turned it back off and continued to scold him, "If you try to turn on that stereo again, I will leave you at that interview place and make you find a way to get home on your own! You've been acting like a manchild for who knows how long, and I'm tired of dealing with a son who can't act right for his own age! I've attempted to tolerate your attitude and be more lenient, but there's so much I can handle before it goes too far!"

As his mother was unleashing her frustrations on Christopher, he tried to avoid her gaze by focusing on the road, moving the car forward in small intervals. He knew that she wasn't wrong about his childish behavior, but why did this particular scolding feel different than all of the ones he had received in the past? He shrugged off the question and continued to listen.

"You take every opportunity for granted, and you're constantly blaming me for making you lose those chances because it's never your fault, apparently!" her anger was fading a little bit, but was still apparent. "It's ridiculous that I have to lie and sugarcoat things with other people just to make you look good! I kept telling you to be a good influence for other people, but you always kept trying to hang out with people that are nothing more than pathetic losers who are bad influence and want to use you!"

Christopher checked the GPS again; they were twenty minutes away from reaching their destination. But given that it was almost eleven-thirty, he started to worry a little bit. He hoped that they wouldn't have to deal with another sudden traffic jam.

His mother sighed in frustration, "Is it that hard to listen to your mother's advice once in a while? I didn't raise my only child to become a bad influence for other people. You should be grateful that I'm very lenient, and that you grew up in a wealthy family. Trust me, a lot of people that are younger than you or around your age would wish they were in your shoes."

Now he was starting to get annoyed by her, so he attempted to change topics and start a new conversation, "Mom, I understand what you're trying to tell me –"

"Do you really understand?" she interrupted him again. "You've said the same thing to me so many times in the past, and you're still acting like a spoiled brat. I've worked hard to spoil you, and you do nothing –"

"That's enough!" Christopher shouted, startling her for a quick moment. But just as she was about to say something, he beat her to the punch this time. "You should listen to yourself right now!"

He knew the answer to his own question; this particular scolding felt different because it wasn't even a scolding anymore! It felt like someone who hated him had decided to list out his flaws to put him down. His mother wasn't wrong about almost everything she said about him, but it was harsh, to say the least.

"Look, you can point out anything you want about my behavior and how I act like a spoiled brat," he continued. "But to say that I do nothing is beyond stupid and ridiculous!"

"Don't you dare talk back to your own mother!" she retorted.

"I have every right to talk back if you're gonna say stuff that isn't true!" Christopher countered. "Every time you wanna discipline me, you always have to bring up something that is completely false and full of bullshit!"

Before his mother could even say anything, especially about his usage of a curse word, the son beat her to the punch again, "I have helped the family plenty of times in the past, and even during tough times, I still managed to help get the family back on track! Just because I'm spoiled doesn't mean I sit around and do nothing! I've worked hard to not only achieve my goals and dreams, but to also make the family proud! To make you proud, especially!"

His mother didn't attempt to make another retort, as she stayed silent and let each word of his vent affect her. As he continued to let out his emotions, she sat there and thought to herself. She could've easily shut him down and use her parent powers to win the argument, but she didn't. But was it the right thing to do? Was it ever right to be lenient with their child and have almost no restrictions, limits, and curfews enforced?

As she pondered to herself with these questions, her son had finally stopped talking. It was sudden, but make no mistake about it, he was no longer saying anything and his driving was the only thing he focused on now. This managed to catch her attention, as her internal thoughts were sent away and her mind now went back to present reality.

"Are you gonna say anything?" she asked him with a tone of anger and worry. "Look, I'm sorry that I brought up something that wasn't true about you at all. I know that you have been successful throughout your whole life, and I didn't mean to say that you're nothing but lazy and ungrateful."

He looked at her and smiled, relieved that she had recognized her mistake and apologized for it, "It's okay. You were just upset, and I forgive you for it."

His mother gave him a stern look, "But I still expect an apology from you! Don't think that you'll get away with your behavior from earlier and this morning!"

Christopher attempted to laugh it off, but his mother's serious expression indicated that joking around wasn't a good idea, "Sorry, just wanted to make things more light-hearted."

His mother rolled her eyes in disapproval, "Please don't try to make things bad again."

Christopher nodded in understanding, "I'm sorry for acting like a brat for the whole day so far. I understand that my behavior can be annoying and irritating for you, so I promise that I will behave myself. And I won't blame you for the mistakes I make."

The apology sounded genuine and sincere enough for his mother, so she also smiled at him and said, "Thank you, my little sweet honey bun. I hope you stay true to your promise this time."

He shuddered a little bit upon being called honey bun, but still kept a smile on his face, "And you'll stay true to your promise too?"

"I'll do my best to stay true to the promise as well," she replied. "I know I'll make mistakes here and there, but I can assure you that I only have good intentions for you. It hasn't been easy for me in recent years, but I'm still doing my best."

"As I have said before, don't be too hard on yourself," Christopher told her. "You don't have to be perfect to be a good mother or to make me happy. You've taken care of me, you've raised me well, and you've supported me through the good and bad times with unconditional love."

"I know," she simply replied, a smile and a slight look of doubt on her face. "You've always told me to enjoy life and live in the moment. I shouldn't beat myself up over the mistakes I've made, especially the petty ones."

"That's the spirit!" he exclaimed, his face filled with joy because of his mother quoting his life advice. "Besides, with all of this money that we have, there's no way we won't be able to have any sorts of fun! We can travel everywhere, do all types of entertaining activities, and enjoy all different types of food and drinks!"

His mother couldn't help but chuckle at his statement, "It is nice that we are financially stable, but we should continue to work hard so we can remain that way in the future."

"By the way, how far are we from reaching the interview place?" she added on with a question.

Christopher gave the GPS to his mother as he focused on switching lanes and trying to avoid getting hit by another vehicle. She took a look at it, and to her relief, they were only eight minutes away from reaching their destination. It was almost eleven-forty-five, but she was very positive that they would make it on time.

"We're almost there!" she announced with excitement. "I can't wait for you to succeed!"

About a couple of minutes later, they finally escaped "Highway Hell".

* * *

As they were exiting onto the local streets of Muskoka, silence filled the car. It wasn't the awkward silence, but it was the comfortable silence that allowed Christopher to drive peacefully, and for his mother to continue reading her magazine comfortably.

The two made small talk here and there, mostly about the city of Muskoka. It was like the argument between them earlier had never existed, and both of them no longer had any sort of negativity inside them. As they laughed and talked about the possible things they could do at Muskoka, the GPS had told them to take one last turn into a parking lot. As they did, Christopher's mother began analyzing her surroundings and noticed that the parking lot had a lot of open spaces. There were several cars, but way lower than she had expected.

"This has to be the correct area," Christopher stated. "The GPS wouldn't ever lie to us."

"I hope so," his mother added, her son picking the parking spot that was closest to the building. "The people who've contacted you seem professional and legitimate."

"Yeah," he replied to her as he parked the car and turned it off, unplugging the cord for the GPS as well. "I'm supposed to meet up with this guy named Matthew Westwood. He's gonna be the person to not only interview me, but be my new boss if I get the job."

"I'm sure you'll get the job!" his mother assured him with confidence. "You've been host for talk shows before, so I'm sure the competition will be easy for you."

"Please don't jinx it, Mom," he told her as they both got out of the car and Christopher locked it. "Oh! I almost forgot!"

He quickly reopened the car and grabbed what appears to be a small jar of hair gel. After locking the door again, he used the car's window to check if any pieces of his hair was sticking out. Thankfully, none of them were, so the hair gel would remain inside his pants pocket.

As he checked his phone, which read, eleven-fifty-five, he noticed a man walk out of the gray building that the GPS took them to. He appeared to be on his phone, talking to someone important, given the serious expression on his face. About several seconds later, he hung up the phone and saw Christopher. From there, what he did managed to surprise him…

"Are you expecting an appointment today?!" he called out to him with a wave. What he was doing looked a bit weird to him, but he definitely knew that he was talking to them.

"I think that's him," he told his mother, who was waving back to him out of politeness. "There's no one else nearby, so I think he's the interviewer."

"Do you want me to come with you to talk to him?" she asked him.

"I think you should –" Christopher was unable to finish his answer because the man was starting to approach them. "Never mind, we already have our answer."

The man approaching them appeared to be young and handsome, having a slightly tanned skin tone, a fit body, and a clean face. He has large blue eyes and his short, brown hair appears to be neatly combed, with the front part of his hair spiked up with hair gel. His current attire consists of: a white dress shirt with a black suit over it, a maroon tie that was attached to the dress shirt, black dress pants, and black formal shoes.

As he got closer to them, Christopher replied to his question, "Yeah, I have an appointment at noon."

"Okay, great!" the man exclaimed before taking a look at him. "And you must be Christopher McLean, correct?"

"Yup," he replied. "I prefer Chris though."

"Very well, Chris." the man gave him a smile and held out his hand. "I'm Matthew Westwood, but you can call me Matt if you want to."

Chris shook his hand with a smile, "It's nice to meet you, sir."

After shaking hands, Matt turned his attention towards Chris's mother, giving her a smile as well, "And are you also scheduled for an appointment too, ma'am?"

She shook her head, "I'm not scheduled, sir. I already have a job in Toronto."

He nodded in understanding, "No worries, ma'am. But if you do ever change your mind or leave your job, you're welcome to talk to me. I think you would definitely fit right in with the company."

Christopher's mother couldn't help but giggle a little bit at his compliment, "That's very sweet and kind of you, Matt. But I think I'm happy and comfortable from where I work at right now."

Matt then turned his attention towards Chris again, his smile never faltering, "Now then, are we ready to go in? Or do you need a little bit of time?"

"Give me a minute or two please." Chris told him before looking at his mother. "I wanna talk to her before I get going."

"Of course." Matt replied before turning around. "I'll be outside of the entrance if you need to find me."

And from there, he walked away from the mother and son duo, leaving the two by themselves so they could have their talk.

"So, what do you think of him?" Chris asked his mother.

"I think he seems very kind," she told him. "We've only met him so far, so I can't really say more about him… well, he is very handsome, that's for sure."

"You're not gonna start flirting with him, are you?" he questioned her with a raised eyebrow. It was obvious that he was being serious about it instead of joking around.

"I can't guarantee it," she admitted with a chuckle. "But I'll do my best to keep my estrogen in check, especially if he's gonna be your future boss."

Her expression suddenly turned serious, "But if he does anything bad to you, let me know as soon as possible, okay?"

Chris rolled his eyes bemusedly, "Mom, you're being overprotective again."

"Being overprotective of my son is a mother's natural behavior," she then gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Good luck, my little honey bun. And remember…"

"Always be myself." he finished the statement for her before beginning to head towards the entrance. "I'll call you if anything comes up!"

"I'll do the same!" she told him before waving him goodbye. As soon as he got to the entrance of the building, she looked around her area. "I guess I could go for a short walk in the meantime."

As she began to go on a short exploration of Muskoka, Chris had made it to the entrance where Matt was waiting for him. As he approached him, Matt nodded with a smile before walking into the building. Chris took a deep breath before following suit, his hands in his pockets.

The interior of the lobby room looked gorgeous and magnificent, like it belonged to a five-star hotel. While the exterior was a simple gray color, the inside had a mixture of different colors, all of which were light and beautiful like a rainbow. The furniture appeared to be clean and well-organized, and the plants were green and healthy. There was an elevator next to the front desk; the flight of stairs were next to the elevator, reaching to an unknown number of floors. Even the size was impressive, although not even close when compared to actual five-star hotel lobby rooms.

As both men entered the lobby room, Matt gave a friendly hand gesture to the lady receptionist, both exchanging smiles with each other without saying a word. Then Chris walked by and made eye contact with the lady as well.

"Hello," the lady greeted him with a smile as well.

"Hey," Chris greeted her in return before making his way towards the elevator with Matt.

"So, how do you like the lobby?" Matt asked Chris while pushing the button to activate the elevator. "Definitely looks better than what you saw from outside, huh?"

"This looks awesome!" Chris exclaimed as he looked around. "It looks like a room that would fit in with a five-star hotel! Matt, is there something you're hiding from me about this building?"

Knowing that Chris was joking around, he laughed and entered the elevator after it opened for them, "Well, I'll admit that there is a reason why the inside looks so much better than the outside."

Chris entered the elevator and gave Matt a curious look, "Why's that?"

Matt simply chuckled in response before telling him, "If you can do well and get the job, I'll definitely let you know. Sounds like a fair deal?"

Chris frowned a little bit, but Matt didn't notice; he only noticed him nodding his head in agreement, "You've got a deal!"

After they shook hands to confirm the deal, they waited in silence as the elevator continued to head up… second floor, third floor, fourth floor. Finally, upon reaching the fifth and highest floor, the elevator stopped and opened its doors for the two men to step out into the quiet hallway. Indeed, it was so quiet, one could easily hear footsteps even if they were tip-toeing.

"Follow me," Matt told Chris quietly as he walked down a certain way, the latter following right behind him. "There are other people working inside these rooms, so we have to keep our voices down."

"How many rooms are there?" Chris asked him, curious about his surroundings and what Matt had told him.

"There's actually eight per floor," Matt answered. "But not all of the rooms are occupied with someone working there. It really depends on the day, if you ask me. Since today's Thursday, more people are gonna be showing up to work than, for example, Saturday. Basically, it's busy on weekdays and not so much on weekends."

As they approached their designated room, which had a sign on the door that said, Room 5–F, Matt turned around and gestured to it, "This is where your interview will take place, Mr. McLean. Are you ready to make your best first impression?"

Chris nodded and smiled, "Let's go in."

And soon, Matt opened the door and held it for Chris to enter first. After heading in, he followed and closed the door behind him, quickly flipping on the light switch that was next to the door. As the lights turned on, the room was clear and visible for both men to observe, more-so on Chris's part.

There was a large table in the center of the room, enough to fit several chairs around it to host a meeting. One can assume that it was a meeting room where important conferences took place. Other than a few windows to let sunlight and fresh air in, along with an outlet for each side of the wall, there wasn't much more to say about the room. A vent tile was located on the ceiling, possibly for the air conditioner, and the walls were white.

Chris definitely had something to say about the room, being careful not to offend Matt with the wrong words, "Um, whose room is this?"

"Yours." Matt simply told him, causing Chris to look confused. "That is, if you can ace in this job interview."

Chris looked around and didn't expect a room to be empty, causing Matt to continue speaking, "I know what you're thinking; it's not much and you had high expectations, right?"

Chris was shocked that Matt knew that he was thinking, "H-How did you know that?"

The interviewer shrugged and responded, "You're not the first person I've interviewed."

He then looked at Chris and grinned, "But like I said, it's all yours and you can decorate it with whatever and however — keep it professional and appropriate, of course."

"So," he continued. "Let's get started, shall we?"

Chris pulled two office chairs towards the table and adjusted them until Matt declared it was good enough. As they sat down, Chris quickly adjusted his bow tie and tuxedo to make sure his appearance was spot-on.

It was finally time for the job interview. And just as Matt was about to begin asking, there was knocking on the door.

But rather than getting upset or irritated by the interruption, Matt simply said, "Ah! They're right on time!"

He got up and opened the door, revealing two people to be standing there, both of which were dressed in professional attire as well. The guy had an intimidating, serious expression on his face, looking like he was ready to hurt someone physically, and possibly mentally. The lady had a smirk on her face, but it wasn't a smirk that was scary or dangerous enough for one to fear her.

"Welcome back, you two!" Matt greeted them with a smile that was bigger than usual. "You're just in time for the interview! Come on in!"

As Matt moved out of the way to let the two people go in, they glanced at Chris and inspected him with judgmental stares. And Chris suddenly began to feel more nervous than he already was. One of them was definitely capable of pummeling him if he pissed him off. And the other was capable of ruining his life and career if he pissed her off.

As they pulled in chairs to sit near Matt, the interviewer told Chris, "So, I know it was supposed to be just me and you, but I couldn't resist pulling a last minute surprise on you."

Chris frowned at this announcement, "Dude, that was not cool! I can't believe that you lied to me about –"

"Whoa there," Matt interrupted him. "Don't take any of this the wrong way, Mr. McLean. Think of it as a lesson… the first lesson of becoming an awesome reality television host."

"You see," Matt explained further before Chris could say anything. "When it comes to lying, it's usually for the benefit of the liar themselves. People lie because they're naturally selfish, and in the entertainment industry, it's no different. Many would do anything to climb that popularity ladder and make it to the top, and lying is definitely one of those methods."

Chris looked genuinely bewildered, trying to find the right words to say, but Matt kept continuing on, "I may not know a lot about you, Chris, and you certainly don't know much about me, or even anything about me. However, given our short interaction so far, I can already tell that you're someone who takes success more personally than many others. You're fascinated by the lobby room and how glamorous it looks. You have a curious mindset and you want to learn more about the luxurious lifestyle."

Chris finally spoke up again, "But I'm already wealthy. Me and my mom are financially secured and we're living a good life together."

Matt simply nodded and smirked, "And I'm very glad that you two are living well together; I'm sure you two have worked hard to make that amount of money… but so have I."

His smirk disappears and he now has a serious expression on his face, "Don't get me wrong, I will admit that I am spoiled and I can be a brat at time, especially with my father. However, being financially secured and having success in the small leagues isn't enough. You see, there's our level of wealth and success…"

Matt then leans back against the chair with a smirk on his face, "And then, there's our potential level of wealth and success if we do it correctly."

At this point, Chris appeared to be very confused and lost in the mix of what Matt had said. He couldn't understand how and why his speech had anything to do with the surprise of two more people joining him. Had he really fallen into a trap?

"Mr. Westwood," Chris said, trying to show respect for him in front of the other two people. "I'm honestly lost and I can't understand how this relates to the surprise you pulled on me. Heck, how does this even relate to me trying to become a better host through 'lessons'?"

"No worries, Mr. McLean," Matt's smirk had changed into a smile again, his voice having a change of tone. "What I'm trying to say is, I think you have the highest potential to do well as host for our new show. And although those who have applied as host for this show have potential, I definitely think you can be the one to attract a large audience."

Chris looked surprised at the compliment, and also couldn't help but smile, "Thank you very much for the compliment, Mr. Westwood. But can you be more specific on how I have the highest potential?"

"Of course," Matt replied. "Well, to get the obvious ones out of the way, your physical appearance from head to toe. And as I had said, your level of wealth along with your curious mindset and personal desire for success. Plus, with the samples of you being the host of talk shows that you sent to me through email, it's very clear that you have charisma and social charm."

Chris couldn't believe his own two ears, his interviewer and future boss was complimenting him like no tomorrow! He had success before, but never did he expect this level of success and respect at a stage where he was simply being interviewed! He wasn't even officially hired, for crying out loud!

"Wow…" Chris was practically speechless. "T-Thank you, Mr. Westwood. I hope I don't disappoint you if I get hired."

"If you get hired?" Matt repeated before letting out a friendly laugh. "Mr. McLean, you know you're already hired right?"

Chris's eyes widened in disbelief, and he was ready to celebrate, but Matt continued to speak, "Before you start celebrating, I'm gonna see if you're worthy of staying hired. You wondered why I brought in these two? Well, your first lesson is to always expect the unexpected! Your first challenge is to showcase your talent in front of us three! And if you do well enough, you'll remain as the host of Total Drama!"

* * *

**So we've reached the end of the chapter and if you made it this far, then congrats! However, there are some things I would like to explain in further detail before concluding this chapter. If you're planning on participating in this SYOC competition, then please read through each of the following paragraphs!**

**First and foremost, as I had said in the beginning, if you don't want to submit for whatever reason, then you don't have to. I understand that this type of story has a bad reputation for being abandoned, and some have never started! So there's honestly no need for me to go into persuasion mode and try to convince people.**

**Anyways, let's talk about the setting because even something as simple as the year can be important. To avoid revealing too much, this story will take place in the summer of 2007 at Camp Wawanakwa, a.k.a., Wawanakwa Island. So it'll still be at the same location for the first season, but the cast will be different, so think of it as an alternate universe. That's all you need to know about the setting.**

**Moving on to the rules of this submission process, I will be listing them in numerical order so you can see them more easily. Failure to follow all of these rules will result in an automatic rejection. And there's only six rules, so it shouldn't be that hard to follow all of them.**

**01\. I cannot stress this enough, but don't submit a Mary-Sue, Gary-Stu, or someone overpowered in general! It's annoying to have a character have no weaknesses and destroy every person in the competition.**

**02\. There will be twenty-four spots available, so you can submit two people. However, two characters is not only the maximum, but if you're planning on sending in two characters, then they must be opposite genders.**

**03\. To avoid revealing anything about the accepted characters, I won't accept any applications that are posted in the reviews section! I apologize to any of my possible guest submitters, but I prefer only private messaging.**

**04\. Speaking of application, instead of posting it in public and waiting for people to send it to me, I'm gonna send it to you instead! How do you get a chance to receive an application? Well, stick around until the end to find out! But I am serious when I say do not post the application in the reviews section! Not only will I delete your review, but you'll be disqualified for doing so.**

**05\. Your character(s) must be human and without any special powers. I can agree that aliens and humanoids are badass and fun to write out, but not in this story please. Oh, and also, your character shouldn't be a clone or very similar to another Total Drama character. If you have a couple or a few aspects, then that's different. But if I can tell it's a Heather clone, then I'm not accepting it.**

**06\. And lastly, when it comes to saving spots, I'm willing to hold on to them. Of course, you must have already completed the task and have received the application. I will ask you how long I'll have to wait before you come back. If you're not back by that time, I'll give you a twenty-four hour warning. After that, your spot is gone.**

**So now you're wondering what's the task and what do you have to do to receive an application from me in the private messages. Well, it's actually very simple! I want you to answer this one question in your review! However long or short it is, just as long as you answer it.**

**Here's the question: What was your personal opinion about Chris, his mother, and Matt?**

**And that's it! I hoped you enjoyed reading this introductory chapter about Chris McLean! We'll see part two of this interview in the second chapter! Until then, take care!**


	2. Episode 00, Part 02 - Host

**Welcome to the second chapter, fellow reader! I'm glad that you've decided to stick around for part two of Chris's interview! And of course, if you haven't read the first chapter yet, you should definitely do so, or else you might get lost and confused.**

**Anyways, I know it's been seventeen days since I uploaded the chapter, so I do want to apologize for the long wait, especially for a chapter that's still part of the prologue. However, with school calming down a little bit and all twenty-four characters being selected, it's time to finish up the prologue and reveal the cast!**

**So let's get right into the chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

Chris attempted to take in everything Matt had just told him, but only a few words came out, "M-My first challenge?"

Matt nodded, "That's correct! Depending on your performance, it could also be your last challenge as the host of Total Drama! If we're going to make this work and head on up towards the big leagues, you're going to need to be on your best performance!"

He leaned back against his chair and continued, "And that leads to your second lesson: always put in your best effort! It doesn't matter what job you have, and it doesn't matter how much experience you have! If you don't work hard, you're not going to succeed!"

As stressed as Chris was feeling right now, he couldn't help but feel a bit inspired by Matt's speech. Sure, one can counter argue about some parts in his speech, but there was no denying that other parts held truth for everyone. Deep down inside, he started to feel more confident, but looked like he was ready to call it quits on the outside.

"You do make a good point there, Mr. Westwood." Chris complimented him. "So, what do I have to do exactly? And more importantly, are these two people behind you also my bosses?"

Indeed, there were two people sitting behind Matt; both of them had serious expressions on their faces, indicating that they weren't going to take this interview light-heartedly. Did it help that they appeared to be judging him silently as well? Definitely not.

The man sitting behind Matt on the right appeared to be brown skinned and older than Chris and Matt, having a large and muscular physique that could intimidate many people. He has large black eyes and his bald head appears to have a white chef's hat on top of it. His current attire consists of: a pastel dress shirt with a light purple tie attached to it, yellow-green pants with a brown belt around it, brown formal shoes, and of course, his white chef's hat on top of his head.

The lady sitting behind Matt on the left appeared to be tan skinned and a bit older than Chris and Matt, having an attractive physical appearance that could arguably resemble a model. She has large blue eyes and her long, dirty blonde hair appears to be curly at the bottom and straight at the top and middle. Her current attire consists of: a white blouse with a black business jacket over it, a pastel skirt that was barely above the knees, and black formal shoes.

"If I were you, I wouldn't worry so much about me and Norbert than your interview right now." the lady remarked in a cold tone. "Remember, you only have one chance to prove your worth, so don't let two extra people be the cause of your failure."

Chris nodded and looked at Norbert, expecting him to say something as well. But he didn't, as he continued to silently judge him with his cold, intimidating expression, one that could cause chills to go down someone's spine. As the host gulped and began to sweat more, he looked at Matt and hoped that he would get the challenge started.

"Thank you, Trish." Matt gave her a smile before looking at Chris again. "Now then, today's challenge will sound very simple. However, whether it's easy or not will be based on your effort and your skills. Of course, effort is more important than skills, but you'll need both in order to remain as the host of Total Drama."

Chris interjected before Matt could continue, "What is Total Drama exactly?"

Unfazed by the interruption, Matt's smile grew bigger upon hearing the question, "I'm glad you asked, Chris! You see, Total Drama will be a brand new reality television show that will feature young adults competing against each other for a cash prize of one million dollars! They'll compete as teams and individuals in very tough challenges that will push them to their limits, all while living at a summer camp that's on an abandoned island!"

He then gave Chris a wink after explaining, "And that's only the gist of it! There's a lot more to explain about the show, but it would probably take the whole day to do so! Now, do you have any more questions for me?"

Not wanting to risk getting on Matt's bad side, despite his friendly demeanor and bright smile, Chris simply said, "I'm ready to get the challenge started."

"Excellent!" Matt exclaimed before finally getting started with the challenge explanation. "So for your first challenge, I want you to use your hosting skills and your charisma to persuade Trish to watch our new show! And using the information I've given you about Total Drama, I want you to answer whatever questions she may have about the show!"

"And you'll be judged based on whether you win her over or not." he continued. "As I said earlier, it may sound simple, but I've seen many come and fail this challenge because they simply underestimated the challenge and put in mediocre effort."

"So just because you said it was simple doesn't mean it's actually easy?" Chris asked.

"Exactly!" Matt answered. "If you take my two lessons into consideration, then I guarantee you'll pass this challenge! Remember, always expect the unexpected and always put in your best effort!"

"And if you put in effort and use your skills wisely, every challenge will be conquered easily." Trish added, her expression as serious as ever.

"Thank you, Trish." Matt thanked her before looking at her. "Now that my part is done, would you like to take it from here?"

"Yes," she replied before giving Chris a look that could send shivers down a person's spine. "So, you wanna be the host of Total Drama, right?"

Chris nodded before she continued, "Very well, then. Let's see if you have what it takes to convince me to become a fan of this new show."

As Matt and Norbert listened, Trish and Chris were ready to go.

"So," she began to act out her role. "I assume you're the host of that new television show I've been hearing about lately. It was… Total Drama, I think? Can you confirm that?"

"You are absolutely correct, ma'am." Chris replied, also getting into character as a charismatic host. "I will be the host of Total Drama under the name of Matthew Westwood, a man who has given me the honor to provide entertainment for potential viewers like you."

Matt couldn't help but smile at the compliment, although one couldn't tell if it was sincere or part of Chris's character. While Chris appeared to be smiling and even a little more confident than earlier, Trish still had her serious expression.

"I see…" Trish nodded at what Chris had told her. "Well, I'll take your word that you'll be able to impress us with your hosting skills. Actually, as a matter of fact, why don't you show off some of your talent for me? I think it would be awesome if you could tell me more about this Total Drama show."

"Of course! You're more than welcome to ask me any questions about me or the show!" he told her with a smile before standing up to explain. "Now, you may or may not have seen reality television shows that have a set of strangers living together and compete against one another for the sake of winning a high amount of money. Regardless, Total Drama's premise is to take a group of young adults that don't know each other and have them compete in teams and as individuals in challenges that will push them to their limits! Many of their aspects will be tested, all on camera for the viewing audience to see!"

He swallowed his saliva before continuing, "And what's more is that they'll all be living together at a summer camp that's on an abandoned island! Imagine all of the entertaining possibilities that could happen outside of the challenges!"

"Like what?" Trish asked him, curious to know about the possibilities.

"So many examples!" Chris answered her question. "The exciting bonfire parties, the friendships that'll be formed, the possible hookups and relationships that could happen, and most importantly, the drama and conflict that will keep you entertained and interested for weeks! And I can assure you that there's a lot more possibilities than what I've listed!"

Trish couldn't help but looked a bit impressed by his talent. He still had a long way to go, but there was no doubt that he already had potential to draw in a large audience like Matt had said. But she wasn't done yet, as she wanted to ensure that Chris would keep his game up at all times.

"Hmm… that sounds like it'll be an entertaining show." she told him, causing the charismatic host to feel relieved and happy. "From what you're describing to me, it does seem like Total Drama has the capability to live up to its name and provide entertainment in not just the challenges, but also during their free time as well."

"And although it is a stretch to say it'll be the best show ever," she continued. "Tell me, how are you going to contribute to the show's possible success? How are you going to be a lovable and entertaining host that will keep me tuned in for not just the whole episode, but for all of upcoming ones as well? These are questions I wanna know from you, Mr. Host."

"You're always welcome to call me Mr. McLean!" he couldn't help but smirk a little bit at the confidence boost that Trish had given him. "And to answer your questions, first and foremost, I will be a fair host and call it right down the middle! As the one who will be spectating the contestants during the challenges, it is true that the host can make the challenge unfair for a certain team or certain individuals, but I can assure you that I won't abuse that power and will play as a neutral bystander!"

"You're not wrong about what you said about hosts or higher authority being able to abuse their power to help their favorites win." Trish told him. "I'm glad that you won't be one of those people that will find excuses to screw over someone's chances of winning because of any aspect. Believe me, I find it less entertaining and really irritating if a host interferes to have a fan favorite win the challenge. I would much prefer someone I don't like winning a challenge on their own than someone I like winning through outside assistance."

"And I'm glad we're on the same page of impartial hosting!" Chris added on to the interview conversation. "Now, there's more I can do to provide to the show's success besides being an impartial host! Whenever I get an opportunity to be on camera, I will explain the challenges thoroughly, emphasize the commentary, and even get involved if there is a serious emergency that threatens the lives and safety of the contestants! There's a big difference between interfering for ratings and interfering for someone's safety."

It was obvious that Trish was gaining more respect for him, given by her small and unnoticeable smile. And Chris was practically full of confidence, his energy and excitement going well with his charismatic host character. Matt had a grin on his face, proud that his employee was using his lessons to kick ass in the interview so far. And Norbert was the only one who still had a serious expression on his face.

"Yes, as a host of a reality television show, it's very important for me to keep the show entertaining through impartial ways!" he continued before Trish could say anything. "But at the end of the day, the contestants' safety should always be the top priority. Like my mother says, 'there's no point of having a show if the people are going to get hurt or killed.'"

He looked at Trish and then at Matt and Norbert before continuing, "And you know what? My mother was right! If the contestants get hurt, then I would have failed as a host! A host does more than just recapping the episodes or explaining the challenges or providing commentary!"

He took a deep breath before continuing on, "A host should be there to protect the contestants and ensure their safety. Why? It's more than because of lawsuits or ratings…"

He took another deep breath before finishing, "It's because the contestants need the host, and vice-versa. And without one or the other, there would be no show."

* * *

As Chris finally went silent, everyone else in the room looked shocked. Even Norbert had widened his eyes because of what Chris had said. Trish barely had her mouth agape, but one could tell she was stunned to even say a word. And Matt was smiling like a kid at a candy store — one could say he looked like a goofy idiot.

After almost a minute of silence, Matt started to clap slowly, getting faster by each second. Trish and Norbert followed after, and all three of them stood up from their chairs like they were giving someone a standing ovation. All while this was happening, Chris stood there and took in all of the claps, having a shocked face for receiving this much praise from the people he would be working with in the future.

Finally, after what appeared to be a minute of clapping, the four sat back down and Chris anticipated for the results of whether he passed the challenge or not. He had a lot of confidence and exerted a good amount of his charisma, but even as he waited for Matt or Trish to say something, he still felt nervous in his stomach. He knew that he had put in his best effort to not only complete the challenge of persuading Trish to watch Total Drama, but to showcase his talent and skills as well.

Matt was the first to speak, "That… was… absolutely amazing!"

"Thank you, Mr. Westwood." Chris gladly accepted his compliment with a relieved smile on his face.

"No," Matt quickly butted in. "Thank you for putting in your best effort! I've seen so many performances, and you were one of, if not, the best performance I have ever witnessed! From start to finish, you were on top of your game, and you managed to use your creativity to come up with ways to convince Trish as the host of Total Drama!"

Trish decided to add on to the conversation, "What impressed me was that you managed to persuade me with not too much information given about the show. You thought outside of the box, and you stayed in character the whole time."

Chris was about to say something, but she beat him to the punch, "And I know what you're about to ask. I think it's obvious, but yes, you passed the challenge. Congratulations on doing well in the interview, and I hope we can get along well for the upcoming summer."

She held her hand out and Chris didn't hesitate to shake her hand with a grin on his face, "Thank you, Trish. I hope we can work well together and accomplish a lot of our goals."

After shaking hands, Matt decided to lead the conversation for the new topic, "So, now that we've all decided that Chris has passed the challenge and will remain as the host of Total Drama, why don't we go out and eat together for dinner?"

Norbert responded, "Sure. I have nothing better to do."

Trish responded, "Does Korean BBQ sound good, Mr. Westwood? We could go to Blue Palace and try out the beef bulgogi that we've been wanting to eat for a while."

"I am definitely craving some Korean BBQ! Also, do you think you and Norbert can cook it this time? I'll try to help out, but I don't wanna risk burning the meat again." Matt told the two people that joined in for Chris's interview.

Trish nodded, "Yes, sir."

She then looked at Chris, "Do you wanna come with us as well? If you don't have any plans for today, of course."

"I'll have to talk to my mom first." Chris responded. "We may or may not have plans to go out and eat as well."

"Let's hope you can make it!" Matt told him. "After all, I am gonna invite my father to join us so he can meet you, Mr. McLean."

"Y-Your father?" Chris asked, a bit nervous about meeting someone who is at a higher power than Matt himself.

Matt noticed his nervousness and gave a friendly laugh, "There's no need to worry, Chris! My father may seem intimidating and scary at first glance, but once you get past that, then he's a really cool and caring man. Sure, he's older than all of us, but he definitely fits in with the newer generations."

"So he's basically like one of those teachers that's smart and cool on the inside, but looks the opposite on the outside?" Chris asked.

"That's an excellent analogy of my father!" Matt complimented him. "But anyways, I think you and him will get along very well for the upcoming summer season."

"But what about my possible plans with my mom?" Chris asked him. "I understand he's a very important person for me to meet, but I don't know if I should -"

"It's okay if you can't make it," Trish assured him. "There'll be plenty of chances for you to meet him. The last thing we want is for your relationship with your mother to be ruined because of one person… no offense to your father, Mr. Westwood."

"None taken!" Matt told her with a smile. "Now then, let's head on out of here, shall we? Chris, you have my phone number, right?"

"Yeah," Chris replied. "You gave it to me through your email."

"Excellent!" Matt exclaimed before standing up to head towards the door. "I hope we'll be able to see you at Blue Palace around six-fifteen! Take care, Mr. McLean!"

As Matt and Trish left the room, Chris and Norbert were the only two left. However, it appeared that the big man was taking his time to leave, much to the confusion of the host of Total Drama. Norbert still had the same, serious expression on his face, and as he glanced at Chris, his expression turned into a glare that wasn't too scary, thankfully.

"I-I hope we get along too, Norbert." Chris told him nervously, not liking his glare that was directed at him. "Um… what's with the angry look?"

His question was answered when Norbert walked towards him, causing the host to back away in fear of being beaten up by a man that was almost twice his size. Norbert's glare never softened, and it definitely looked like he was about to get violent with Chris. However, when he got close to him, he merely continued to glare at him — he didn't make any physical contact.

"N-N-Norbert…" Chris said with immense fear in his voice. "I-I-I don't know what your p-problem is, but we can talk this out! I-I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die…"

As Chris prayed for his life, Norbert had finally said something, "I ain't gonna hurt you."

Upon hearing Norbert talking, Chris glanced at him with one arm shielding his face, "W-What?"

"I didn't stutter," Norbert told him. "You can put your arm down 'cause I ain't gonna hit ya."

Still feeling skeptical about Norbert, Chris slowly lets his arm down, but still remained cautious and kept his guard up, "T-Then why are you giving me that angry look like you're about to kill me?"

Norbert's glare deepened, causing Chris to cower away in fear again, "I'm just kidding! Don't hurt me, please!"

"Quit being a scaredy-cat and put your arms down!" Norbert ordered him with a rather loud voice. "Like I said, I ain't gonna hurt you."

"S-So why are you giving me an angry look if you're not gonna hurt me?!" Chris asked in return, daring to fight back. "We've just met like an hour ago, and I never said anything disrespectful to you or about you! I'll let my arms down if you at least back up and give me some personal space, please!"

Norbert thought about it for a brief moment, and after deciding that Chris wasn't going to cooperate until he gave him a reason to feel less terrified, he sighed and took a few steps back. His hands weren't in his pockets, and Chris saw from the corner of his eye that Norbert had backed off. Knowing that Norbert had made his promise, Chris followed suit with his promise and let his arms down. Now, they were facing each other with silence.

After almost a minute of silence, Norbert spoke up, "Listen, I ain't gonna even lay a finger on you unless you give me a reason to. But looking at you and how you behaved the whole time I was here, it's clear that you need to be toughened up."

"Toughened up?! You were giving me an angry look and got close to me!" Chris retorted defensively. "Is it not wrong for me to feel scared and intimidated by a big guy like you?! And besides, how am I supposed to know that you weren't lying about hitting me?!"

"You don't." Norbert bluntly answered. "You're already starting off on the right track by being cautious, but that'll be something for another time. But right now, you need to stop being fearful too much!"

"Let me repeat myself," Chris told him. "You were giving me an angry look, even though I didn't say anything wrong. And then you got close to me, still with that same angry look. So it's very obvious that I would have to react with fear over logic! If you would've done the same thing to Trish or Mr. Westwood, they would've been scared like me as well! The same goes for almost everyone else!"

"But you're not like most of the other people." Norbert simply told him.

"But I am!" Chris exclaimed in response, having a confused look on his face. "The only people I know that wouldn't be scared of you are the guys and girls that have the same physique as you, and the crazy, weird people!"

"You're not like most of the other people," Norbert repeated to him. "You might think otherwise, but there's something about you that reminds me of someone I used to know."

"Who's this someone?" Chris asked out of curiosity.

"That's none of your business." Norbert answered with a glare, giving Chris the indication that he shouldn't ask more about it.

He sighed quietly before continuing, "All I'm trying to say is, you have the chance and potential to toughen up. And it ain't the normal toughening where you grow bigger muscles and act less of a scaredy-cat…"

"It's the type of toughening that will save you from a downfall." Norbert concluded.

"Downfall?" Chris asked.

"Did I stutter?!" Norbert yelled at him with a question, causing Chris to be startled. "I ain't gonna stop you from doing whatever you wanna do, but if ya wanna survive in this world, then I'd suggest using logic more often than your emotion."

"I'm a human, not a robot." Chris replied. "If I had no emotions, then I would end up as a psychopath, or killed at a very young age! Only some crazy or big person would have no fear in standing up to someone -"

"I never said you were supposed to use only logic," Norbert interrupted. "You used your emotions to identify the problem, but you used logic to escape the problem. You obviously wanna use both, but logic is the main thing that will get you out of conflict and nasty situations."

He then started to head towards the door, not looking back at Chris while talking, "I'll see you at Blue Palace… if you can make it."

Norbert closed the door behind him and left a stunned and confused Chris behind. He didn't know how to exactly feel about Norbert, especially after their first conversation between them, not to mention that he had been nearly been scared to death by the large man. And after receiving advice from Matt in the form of lessons, getting more advice from another person started to make him feel a bit stressed.

* * *

He sighed and checked his phone, in which the time was currently 01:24 PM. He had been in the interview room for over an hour, and he still had to meet up with them again later around 06:15. It was optional, but he also wanted to make a good impression with Matt's father by attending the dinner event. As he proceeded to exit the room and head towards the elevator, he decided to give his mother a call.

"_Hello?" Chris's mother picked up from her end._

"Mom," Chris replied to her with a smile on his face. "I'm all done with the interview now."

_He heard her gasp as she said, "What happened?! How did you do, my little honey bun?!"_

His smile grew as he entered the elevator and pressed the button that would take him to the lobby room, "Not only did I get the job…"

"_That's amazing!" she interrupted him with a delighted cheer. "I'm so proud of you! I knew you could do it!"_

"Thanks, Mom." Chris responded to her. "And get this, Mr. Westwood brought in two other people to join us for the interview. I had to go through a challenge to have a chance of becoming a television show host."

"_A challenge?" his mother asked out of curiosity._

"Yup!" he replied to her as the elevator reached the lobby room. "The challenge was to convince one of my co-workers named Trish to check out a brand new reality television show called Total Drama. And I used only what Mr. Westwood told me about the show to persuade her. Of course, I used my creativity and charm to win her over."

_His mother couldn't help but chuckle, "Well I'm glad that you managed to use your skills to beat the challenge. And did anybody in that room make you feel uncomfortable?"_

Chris remembered about Norbert, but decided to not tell her about it, "Nope! It wasn't a scam or anything like that. Everyone was professional, and I'm looking forward to working with them for the upcoming summer season."

"_That's good!" she exclaimed in relief for her son's safety. "So are you on your way back to the car?"_

"I am." he told her as he walked out the front entrance door and towards the parking lot that was covered with sunlight and warm weather. "I see our car, so I'm assuming you went for a walk?"

"_I certainly did go for a walk!" his mother responded, much to his own relief. "I'm not that far from the car, actually. I assumed that the interview wasn't going to take long, so I didn't travel far during my Muskoka exploration."_

"_Try to wait for at least five minutes, please!" she continued in a cheerful tone. "I did buy you some food on the way back! It's from Green Garden!"_

Chris's eyes widened upon hearing Green Garden, "Awesome! We can enjoy our food and go explore around Muskoka right after!"

_There was a small moment of silence from the other side before his mother spoke up once more, "Well, we can't take too long. I have to go in for work at around four, and getting back to Toronto will take a little while."_

Chris couldn't help but frown at what his mother had said. On one hand, he clearly has free time to accept Matt's invitation and join them at Blue Palace, making him less stressed between two choices. However, on the other hand, he wanted to spend plenty of time with his mother, more so than spending time with his co-workers. But what's done is done, and there was no way that his mother could convince her boss to avoid tonight's shift.

"It's fine," he responded in a calm tone. "It's harder to take a day off on Thursday anyways."

"_Don't be upset," his mother attempted to cheer him up. "It was a last minute call, and I was looking forward to spending time with my son. So believe me, I'm also upset that my boss called me in."_

"Yeah, yeah." Chris replied in a nonchalant manner, even though it was only a minor inconvenience. "But you're gonna be busy tomorrow, Saturday, and part of Sunday. And it won't be until Sunday evening that you'll actually be able to relax and spend time with me instead of being on your computer, sleeping early, or going out to hang with your friends."

"_Christopher!" his mother's voice suddenly turned harsh and serious as she started to berate him. "You know I can't just call off often! I may be at a high rank in the company, but that doesn't mean I can do whatever I want! I do want to spend time with you, but I also have my own life as well, even if you're my son! So don't start acting like a whiny brat because -"_

"Mom!" Chris suddenly yelled at her, causing her to go silent immediately. "If you're gonna scold me, then at least do it in private and not on the phone where other people can hear you! Look, I'll just call up one of my buddies and we can hang out for the evening, alright? Let's just not argue anymore and go explore Muskoka with whatever time we have."

_He heard her take a deep breath over the phone before responding, "Okay."_

* * *

And after hanging up, Chris called Matt to accept his invitation.

After Chris and his mother ate lunch and went on a quick tour of Muskoka, not to mention talking things out about the conversation from earlier, the host took her back home and drove off to Blue Palace that was in Muskoka. He didn't get changed since he was already in business attire, and he got gas on the way there. This time around, he took the local streets to not only kill time and find a gas station, but to also avoid Highway 401.

It was a longer drive to Blue Palace than to the interview place, but after over an hour driving, Chris had finally made it. As he parked the car and checked the time, which was 04:41, he decided to kill time by looking around for a nearby massage parlor. Thankfully, not only did he manage to find Blue Palace, but he also found Body Relaxation, a massage parlor and salon that was a few doors down to the right. He really needed to get his body massaged, especially his legs!

By the time he paid and left the place, his body felt as good as new, and he was re-energized. He checked his phone again, and the time was now 05:01. He didn't know when Matt and the others would show up, but he still had about an hour left to kill. But as he was ready to find something else to do, he suddenly saw a familiar face…

It wasn't an old friend or his mother, but it was Matt himself! He had already gotten out of a silver Lamborghini that looked very stylish and clean. Trish and Norbert followed suit from the back. As the three of them headed towards Blue Palace, the front passenger door opened and a man stepped out, having a very serious expression on his face.

"This is it, Father!" Matt exclaimed to him with a large smile on his face; Trish had a small smile on her face, and Norbert had a neutral expression. "I guarantee you that this place will be amazing!"

Matt's father appeared to be old, yet attractive and muscular, having a build that's a little larger than Norbert's. He has large blue eyes and his short, gray hair appears to be combed and spiked up all over with hair gel. His current attire consists of: a blue hawaiian shirt with pineapple designs all over, khakis with a brown belt around it, and white sneakers.

He nodded at his son's statement, "Well, this place does have a 4.7 rating that's out of five stars, so I do have high expectations. Now then, let's not waste any more time and order a table before it gets really crowded."

As they were heading towards the door, Chris attempted to hide and somehow sneak to his car without getting caught. But as he was crouching and trying to use his environment to his advantage, it was ultimately to no avail…

"Mr. McLean!" Matt called out, causing Chris to freeze in place as his boss walked up towards him. "It's good to see you! I'm glad you could make it, and very early as well!"

Knowing that there was no point in sneaking away, Chris turned around and put a smile on his face, "It's good to see you too! I assumed the traffic would be bad, so I left earlier than planned, but taking the local streets wasn't better than I expected."

Matt couldn't help but let out a friendly laugh, "No worries! You're not the only one who doesn't like taking Highway 401 either!"

He then continued, "I'm actually glad that you made it early! My father's plans right after dinner was moved to an earlier time; it's not by much, but still enough for me to come here earlier than planned. I was gonna call you to let you know too, but here we are!"

Chris chuckled, "You did tell me to always expect the unexpected, so that's what I did!"

Matt gave a pat on Chris's back, "It's awesome that you're applying my lessons and advice already! Trust me, there'll be more helpful ones from me in the future!"

He then realized something important, "Oh! I need to introduce you to my father! And remember, he may seem like an intimidating person at first, but trust me when I say he's a cool and caring man."

Chris followed Matt to meet his father, and upon seeing him, there was no doubt that the man appeared to be large and intimidating… even more so than Norbert! Despite feeling nervous and a bit terrified, Chris still kept a brave face and walked towards him.

"Father, I want you to meet Chris McLean," Matt introduced him to his father. "He will be the host of Total Drama! I believe he is someone you will be very impressed by, given his creativity, skills, and the amount of effort he puts in."

"N-Nice to meet you, Mr. Westwood." Chris held out his hand for a handshake, hoping that he would get one instead of something terrible.

Matt's father looked at him and his hand for almost a minute, causing Chris to feel more nervous than before. The look he was giving him was terrifying, to say the least. And if he dared to piss him off even the slightest bit, he might as well get a coffin or an ambulance ready.

But what came afterwards was a surprise for Chris and Matt himself. He didn't show any disrespect towards the host, nor did he make physical contact with him. Instead, he walked towards the silver Lamborghini, gave Matt a gesturing look that he needed to unlock the car, and opened the front passenger door. He grabbed what appears to be a clipboard with some papers attached to it and walked towards them after closing the door.

He got close to Chris, and then proceeded to hand the clipboard over to him, "I want you to take a look at the papers that are attached to the clipboard."

Chris complied and took a look at the first paper that was in front of him, which was a list that had names of different people divided into two sections…

**The Male Contestants**

01\. Leon Lui

02\. Gabriel Peterson

03\. Velvet Ruto

04\. Alex Kenion

05\. Therion Suárez

06\. Nikolai Mitchell

07\. Mason Scherz

08\. Eliade Sima

09\. Thiago Datura

10\. Tom Nguyen

11\. Charles Soltz

12\. Drake Flare

**The Female Contestants**

01\. Gabriela Martìnez

02\. Olivia Morales

03\. Callie Brighton

04\. Xanthia Ranston

05\. Melissa Lambert

06\. Rosa Frediano

07\. Abigail Phillippa

08\. Albienne Rosary

09\. Helena Browning

10\. Ciara Brady

11\. Theresa Valentine

12\. May Susens

After going through the names on the first paper, Chris proceeded to flip to the other papers, "Mr. Westwood, can you explain more about the information on these papers?"

"These are the papers you'll need as host," Matt's father responded with a serious expression on his face. "Once filming begins, you'll need to know each of the contestants through name, picture, and brief information, just so you know how to interact with them without accidentally pissing them off. I have the rest of their applications at home, but you don't need to worry about it because me and the other executive producers will handle it."

"So don't lose them." he continued with a stern look before offering his hand out with a grin. "It's nice to meet you too, Mr. McLean. You can call me Thomas to avoid confusing me and Matthew's last names."

After shaking hands, Thomas spoke to everyone, "Now that important matters are out of the way for now, let's mingle and relax for this dinner event, shall we?"

As they all conversed with one another about general topics, Chris took a look at the papers again, and as he began to walk away to put the clipboard inside his car, he began to think about his future with many different possibilities.

But one thing's for sure, this was gonna be an interesting summer for him.

* * *

**And there you have it! Almost seven-thousand words later, I have finally revealed the official contestants for Wawanakwa Island! Now, to those who applied and didn't see your character(s), I'm sorry to say that your application(s) got rejected. Of course, I've read through all of the submissions, but if I never replied to you, then that means your character(s) got rejected. I do apologize for not stating so, but just know that I really appreciate you for taking the time and effort to not only answer my first chapter question, but to also fill out a rather detailed application.**

**Now that I have all of the contestants, the next chapter will be the first part of the first episode! Yes, I say part because each episode will be divided into multiple parts to provide detail and development. All I can say is, the next chapter will be very long because all of the contestants will be introduced, so bare with me if I take long with the update!**

**I also have a question for you to answer in the reviews! Now, this one is entirely optional, but it does help me improve! Of course, it can be short or long, it doesn't matter.**

**Here's the question: What was your personal opinion about Trish, Norbert, and Thomas Westwood?**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you in the next one! Until then, take care!**


	3. Episode 01, Part 01 - Contestants

**Welcome to the first part of the first episode, fellow reader! You've been waiting for it, and now I'm gonna give it to you! I know you want to see your character(s) come to life, so this will be the beginning of their journey! Of course, there'll be more scenes of Chris McLean to help him develop, so there's that if you're still interested in his story.**

**School and work have prevented me from getting this done sooner, so I do apologize. I will start maintaining a routine schedule and not procrastinate on my work anymore. **

**So let's get right into the chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

A little over a week had passed since the day Chris McLean got hired as the host of a new reality television show that was set to premiere in the summer called, Total Drama. It was now Saturday, July 7th, and the concept had finally begun to take shape into reality. The host had taken time to not only study about the contestants that would be competing, but spend quality time with his boss, Matthew Westwood, Trish, Norbert, and a little bit with Thomas.

As Matthew had mentioned, the show would be taking place at a summer camp that's located on an abandoned island. Today would be Chris's first time at the island, as the others had already visited it before. When they all arrived early in the morning for setup, the host got a glimpse of what the summer camp would be like…

Needless to say, it was definitely different than what he had imagined. It appeared to be mediocre at best, with flies and bugs occupying some of the areas. The camp was still clean enough for a human to live at, but the smell would make it unbearable at times.

The island itself had more than a summer camp; it had an old dock that was surrounded by a small beach. There was a large forest behind the summer camp, a mysterious atmosphere following into the area of unknown. Next to the forest was an uphill that would lead to a cliff; if one dared to go off the edge, they would have a great fall into the water below.

Of course, there was more to the camp and island than one could describe, but only those who dare to explore would find more details and new stories to tell for the others.

Chris was currently near the dock, resting on a lawn chair with black shades over his eyes. He was in an attire that was more comforting for the outdoors: a short-sleeved, modern blue shirt with a long-sleeved, white shirt underneath — the sleeves of the undershirt poking out, cargo shorts, and blue-and-white sneakers.

There was a cooler next to him, as he grabbed a water bottle from it and drank a good amount, "Ahh! Nothing beats cold water on a warm, sunny day!"

"I think I'll have to disagree on that one, Chris!" a familiar voice came from the background. As Chris took off his shades and looked behind him, he saw Matt walking towards him with a grin. "Nothing is better than drinking juice or soda that's fresh from the refrigerator!"

Matt also appeared to be in casual attire, wearing a light green hawaiian shirt with white flower designs all over, blue pants, and green sneakers. It was noteworthy to point out that he was sporting a brown, money bag necklace.

"Are you enjoying this place?" Matt asked Chris with curiosity, noticing that he wasn't smiling. "I understand that you had high expectations of the summer camp, but don't put yourself down! There's a good reason why we chose this specific location!"

He walked around back-and-forth as he began to explain, "You see, my father wanted this show to be unique and different from the other reality television shows. The people already want to watch a group of strangers be forced to live together and socialize with each other under certain circumstances. That's what our show will be about… for the most part, at least."

He stopped and gave Chris a smirk, "However, there is one big difference between Total Drama and the other reality television shows. The answer? Intensity!"

"Intensity?" Chris repeated and asked.

"Yes, Total Drama will be much more intense than the other shows in many aspects!" Matt announced with excitement. "The challenges? Their limits will be tested! The living conditions? Not for the faint of heart! The drama? Absolutely explicit!"

"And of course," he was ready to conclude his speech. "They'll be protected under our safety and medical team, so everything will still be in good hands! There won't be any serious consequences, I can assure you that!"

After Matt had finished talking, Chris could only stare at him blankly before replying, "Mr. Westwood, I appreciate you trying to cheer me up, but I never cared about the quality of the summer camp. Just as long as I don't have to live here, that's all."

Matt chuckled and gave him a pat on the back, "No worries! You'll only be around this area when you're doing your job! There's a special building that you'll be staying at! You're gonna love it!"

Suddenly, Matt's phone started ringing and as he picked up, he told Chris, "Good luck today, Mr. McLean."

And from there, he took off to answer. Given his reaction, it must've been someone important, but Chris didn't pay attention to the details. It could've been his father, or it could've been someone else. Either way, Chris could finally continue to relax in peace while enjoying a bottle of cold water.

But just as he was putting his shades back on, another person had decided to converse with him as well.

"Mr. McLean?" an unfamiliar voice asked for him. Much to his annoyance and slight confusion, he took off his shades again and looked back. "I'm right in front of you, sir."

Chris turned and saw someone in front of him holding a camera, startling him for a second, "Gah! What's with the camera?!"

"I'll put it down." the person simply replied, putting the camera down before staring at him.

The person was assumed to be male, as implied by the voice, appearing to be mysterious and strange. It was mainly because he was wearing a golden mask that covered his entire head and face, but there were small holes around the mouth area. The mask made him appear to have large black eyes, and his hair was possibly covered by the mask. His current attire consists of: a yellow tracksuit with black stripes running down the arms, golden sneakers, and of course, his golden mask.

Chris felt uncomfortable with the cameraman staring at him with a mask on, "Um… can I help you?"

The masked man continued to stare at him before replying with a short question, "Were you talking to Matthew Westwood?"

Chris still kept his guard up, but began to communicate with him, "Uh… yeah, I was. Why do you -"

"And what was he talking to you about?" the masked man interrupted and asked, having no emotion on his face.

Chris looked really skeptical and uncomfortable with him asking questions, but the masked man continued, "Whatever it was, I'm gonna be straightforward with you. He's not a trustworthy person, and you're just his little puppet that'll get toyed with until you're no longer useful to him."

"What makes you so sure?" Chris quickly asked before he could let the masked man interrupt him again.

The masked man simply shrugged, "I could be wrong about what I said. He could turn out to be a complete sweetheart or an absolute monster. But whatever the case may be, just do yourself a favor and keep your guard up around him."

As he picked up the camera, Chris wanted more answers from him, "Who the heck are you, anyway?! And what's with that camera?!"

The masked man began to walk away, but stopped to answer his questions without turning around, "Trish wanted to tell you that you'll be on set in ten minutes. So I'd suggest getting ready right now before I film you."

And then he walked away, leaving behind one Chris McLean with a lack of answers and more confusion. The masked man was most likely working for Total Drama as a cameraman, but his appearance wasn't the only thing that made the host raise an eyebrow. It was what he had told him about Matt, and how he couldn't be trusted deep down. Chris had only known him for a little over a week, but he never had a problem with him.

They weren't buddies or anything like that, but that could change in the future once they've gotten to know each other better. Despite his friendliness, Chris still pondered to himself about Matt. Who was more trustworthy between his boss and the cameraman? Could he even trust either of them?

He sighed and got up from the lawn chair, "What a weird dude." From there, he walked off with the water bottle to get prepared.

* * *

About five minutes later, Chris came out of a building with a smile on his face. He was definitely ready to go! And shortly after, Trish came out with him as well, sporting a white dress and teal sandals.

"So you remember what to talk about, right?" Trish asked him with a stern look. "I expect you to be at your best today, so don't mess up too much."

Chris gave her a smirk, "It'll be child's play! I've already studied the blueprints for the last two days! I'll get all of it in a few takes or less!"

Trish rolled her eyes at his arrogance, "Let me remind you that I'm at a rank that's higher than yours. I may not be your boss, but I'd suggest watching how you speak to me. Now do both of us a favor and tone down that arrogance."

Chris held his hands up in defense, "Hey, I just wanted to make sure you don't have any doubts about me. Besides, there's nothing wrong with being arrogant about something if you're good at it and can back it up. I'm not putting anyone else down, so it's all good!"

"I'm just saying," Trish replied to him. "I don't doubt you for a second, but if you keep up with your arrogant attitude, then your performance will go downhill."

"Like I said, I'll get it in a few takes or less." Chris gave her a genuine smile to assure her. "This isn't my first time being a host for a television show, you know."

"Well, a lot of people are having high expectations for you," Trish said to him. "Maybe I'm -"

"Mr. McLean!" a voice called out to him. "You're on set in two minutes!"

Before heading towards the voice, Chris wanted to say goodbye to Trish, but she beat him to the punch, "Good luck and do your best, okay? I'll see you around once you're done."

The two said their goodbyes and parted ways, as Chris had arrived to the person who called for him, who was standing near the dock. The guy was presumed to be a cameraman because of the camera that was similar to the masked man's.

"I'm here," Chris said to the cameraman.

"All of the cameras have been set up to fit all angles," the cameraman told him. "And there will be a distinct difference between which camera you'll be looking at and all of the other ones."

"Thanks, man!" Chris gave him a thumbs up. "All of our hard work is gonna pay off!"

"Let's hope so…" the cameraman said quietly to himself before calling out in a loud voice, "Gold! Hurry up and get out here to set up the main camera!"

"I'm right behind you," a voice said to the cameraman, startling him as he turned around and jumped back to see the masked man named Gold right behind him.

"Gah! When the hell did you -" the cameraman sighed and got back on topic. "Never mind… just start setting up the camera."

He walked away to set up another camera as Gold decided to converse with Chris while working, "I'm surprised you didn't take a boat and quit."

Chris shrugged, "Look, I'll just give it time and see what happens. Besides, you said it yourself, dude; you don't know if he's actually a good person or a piece of shit."

He decided to change the subject, "Let me know whenever you're ready so I can charm the audience!"

Gold held up his hand and started counting down, "We're ready at five… four… three… two… one…"

The moment Gold finished counting, Chris gave a bright smile for the audience, "Yo! What's up, everyone?! I hope you're doing well right now because we're here to provide you with a new source of entertainment! Hold on to your seats for a moment, because you don't wanna miss out on this!"

Chris saw the hand signal, indicating that he had to move towards a different spot. As he turned and moved, so did the main camera, and now part of the camp and island were part of the background. Before that, it was the dock that was part of the background.

After Gold gave him the thumbs up, Chris continued to speak, "We're coming at you live from Camp Wawanakwa! Located on Wawanakwa Island, an island that has been abandoned for quite some time before we came by to turn it into a place for competition."

He crossed his arms, "And speaking of competition, we've decided to have a group of strangers compete against one another in an elimination game, where one by one, they'll be eliminated from the game until there is one left remaining. That person will walk away with not only fame, but a cash prize of one… million… dollars!"

"I'm your host, Chris McLean!" he made sure to emphasize his name for the audience. "Dropping season one of the newest reality television show right here, right now!"

Gold then pointed at the dock, gesturing for Chris to walk towards there. The host nodded and reached the horizontal part of the dock where there was a sign next to him. It read, "Camp Wawanakwa" in red paint, and the sign was close to falling off into the water.

To film the next part, Gold simply got onto a small boat and a boat driver rowed it so they were in the correct position. The main camera was still standing, and the masked man gave a thumbs up after some quick adjustments.

"So here's the deal about the competition; twenty-four contestants have signed up to spend several weeks at Camp Wawanakwa, a traditional summer camp in Muskoka, Ontario that has been around for years, but has been infamous for its low quality," Chris continued to explain. "And they'll compete as teams and individuals in extreme challenges that'll push them to their limits!"

He began to pace back-and-forth while explaining, "But that's not all! They'll also have to endure the lifestyle of a camper, as they'll live together and take on the terrible quality of the camp! And of course, with a diverse group of young adults comes the high chance of drama and brutal judgment!"

He chuckled upon mentioning the last part, "After each challenge, there'll be a campfire ceremony to determine which person will be eliminated from the competition. And once they're eliminated, they'll have to walk down this Dock of Shame, take the Boat of Losers, and leave! Once you're gone, that's it!"

"There's a lot more to talk about in regards to the game," it was then that he decided to switch to a different topic. "But I think it's time we meet the contestants! Just to avoid confusion, there'll be a total of six boats arriving — four people per boat for the math fanatics!"

"So let's meet them, shall we?" Chris gave a wink to the camera, and the filming session for his introduction ended there.

* * *

Over at a docking station in Muskoka, there appeared to be many boats and ships of different sizes and models. From wooden boats to cruise ships, it was definitely a place for water vehicle lovers. The dock itself was very wide and there were multiple vertical parts pointing out to store all of the water vehicles safely.

There appeared to be six motorboats in total, each of them looking similar to one another. For each motorboat, there was a person watching and protecting it, as presumed to be part of their job. They were all wearing their uniforms, and they all appeared to be waiting for someone or something to arrive.

"What's the current time right now?" one of the male workers asked into the walkie-talkie. "My phone died a while ago so I lost track of the time."

He got a response from another male worker, "It's currently 11:12 and the first bus should arrive in about three minutes, and the last bus should arrive at 11:40. If all goes well, it'll be a span of five minutes for each bus."

This time, a female worker spoke into the walkie-talkie, "I definitely appreciate you doing the math for us, dude! Apparently, our boss didn't explain it well enough."

"Would you lay off with sarcasm?" a third male worker spoke into the walkie-talkie. "He's just trying to help by reminding us about the bus schedule."

"Can you two not fight right now?!" a second female worker yelled into the walkie-talkie. "Have you forgotten that none of the contestants have eaten lunch yet, and the boat ride will take thirty minutes to get there?!"

A third female worker spoke into the walkie-talkie with a calm and relaxing voice, "Let's not worry about it too much; I'm positive they can bear an empty stomach for almost another hour. And besides, I've been told that the food they'll receive at the island will be five-star quality because of Chef Hatchet."

"Isn't his name Norbert or something like that?" the guy with a dead phone asked.

"That's his real first name," the chill girl answered his question. "But whenever he does anything as a cook, he likes to be called Chef Hatchet. My dad had worked with him before, so that's how I know about him."

"So you're sure that this Chef Hatchet dude is on the same level as Rordon Gamsay?" the sarcastic girl asked uncaringly.

"Definitely not," the chill girl admitted. "But believe me when I say his cooking is delicious."

The sarcastic girl didn't respond, and it was at the right timing too because the first bus had finally arrived. And as the doors opened, two came out through the front and two from the back. In total, there were four people with a balanced gender ratio of two guys and two girls.

"Well, looks like I'll get to leave first," the guy with a dead phone said. "Wish me luck, everyone."

"Good luck, bro." the positive guy told him.

The guy with a dead phone picked up a clipboard and said, "Alright, let's get this out of the way. If I call your name, come forward and step onto the boat."

"Abigail." he called out.

"I'm here, sir." Abigail responded and came up to the dock, sporting a small smile as she boarded the boat.

She appears to be slim and slender like a model, having a diamond-shaped face and a fair skin tone. Her auburn hair appears to be at waist-length, currently styled into one of the fancy hairstyles that is popular in current society. Her current attire consists of: a white blouse, a lilac skirt, white leggings, and black flats.

The worker called for the next person, "Al… Al Bean or something like that?"

"Albienne is how ya pronounce it!" Albienne stepped up to the dock with a cheerful tone. "It's a pleasure to be selected for this show!"

She appears to have a pleasantly-plump appearance, having blue eyes and a rosy-pale skin tone. Her red hair appears to be long and currently styled into one that's straight for the top-half and curly for the bottom-half. Her current attire consists of: a beautiful yellow dress that's embroidered with flowers, complete with a full skirt. She's also wearing a matching sun-bonnet with a satin ribbon under her chin, a pair of kitten heels, and white kid-gloves. There appears to be an opened parasol in her right hand and a sachet on her left wrist.

He merely ignored her appearance as she boarded the boat and moved on, "Alex."

"I have been summoned," Alex came up the dock with a grin on his face. After noticing that the worker's face remained serious, he let out an awkward chuckle. "Sorry, I'll save the jokes for another time."

He appears to have a slight triangular body with sloping shoulders and being slightly choppy with normal length arms and legs. He has an oval shaped head with light green, hood-shaped eyes, medium-sized ears, and a medium-sized roman nose. It was also worth pointing out that he has a short stubble over his face. His chestnut brown hair appears to be mostly covered by his green beanie, and he has a light tan skin tone. His current attire consists of: a green beanie, an orange hoodie that's zipped up halfway, a white short-sleeved undershirt, blue sweatpants, gray socks, and white sneakers that are slightly worn out. There appears to be a mole on his upper right philtrum as well.

After Alex boarded the boat, he called for the last person, "And Charles."

"Here." Charles walked up to the dock. He wanted to say something, but nothing came out. After a quick moment of hesitation, he gave up and boarded the boat with a sigh.

He appears to have a normal body build, not being too muscular or too skinny. He has hazel eyes, a pointy chin, and some small pimples on his forehead. His short brown hair appears to be combed to the back of his head, and he has a very pale skin tone. His current attire consists of: a dark blue t-shirt with a gray unbuttoned shirt over it, beige shorts that reach his knees, and gray sneakers.

"Time to get this over with." the guy muttered to himself. He got to the front of the white motorboat, started up the engine, and it was now heading towards the island.

The four were sitting next to each other in silence, not knowing anything about each other besides being contestants for Total Drama.

Then, Albienne decided to break the ice, "Well howdy, y'all! It looks like I ain't the only one who looks ready to compete! I must say, it's a pleasure to meet y'all!"

Alex lets out a chuckle, "It's a pleasure to meet you too. My name is Alex, and I hope we'll all get along."

As he extends his hand out, Abienne ends up being the one to accept his handshake, "The name's Albienne! I am positive that we'll become good friends throughout this summer! But I must warn y'all, I ain't gonna go easy in this competition!"

Alex lets out another chuckle, "I do like a challenge myself. It would be a bit boring if there weren't any fierce competitors that are in it to win it."

As Alex and Albienne engaged in a conversation, Charles was sitting in silence and looking at the two talks. He wanted to join in and introduce himself, but he was interrupted by a female voice.

"Hello," the female voice said, causing him to turn and see Abigail with a small smile. "How are you doing today?"

Knowing that she was talking to him, Charles put on a small smile as well, "Oh, I'm doing good. How about you?"

"I'm doing very well," she replied to him. "I'm very excited to get an opportunity to compete in this show."

"Yeah," Charles agreed. "It feels like a once in a lifetime chance to experience being in a reality show."

"I believe it'll be a fun and memorable experience," she added and then held out her hand. "My name is Abigail."

"Charles." he shook her hand and then decided to look out at the water, seeing the beauty of it.

"The water looks beautiful," he heard Abigail's voice, causing him to turn and see if she was talking to him.

However, she was actually talking to Alex and Albienne, who had finished their conversation. All three of them looked out at the water and the background, admiring the view. While Charles was sitting down, the other three stood up to get a better view.

"My goodness," Albienne had an excited expression. "I ain't ever seen water that's cleaner and more beautiful in my life!"

"The weather feels great too," Alex added, enjoying the balanced combination of warmth and breeze.

"It sure is!" Albienne replied to him, not having to worry about her parasol being blown away.

"I wonder what the weather will be like on the island…" Abigail commented. "I'm hoping it's warm like right now, but I won't complain if it's cold."

"Same here," Alex gave Abigail a smile. "By the way, I never got your name yet."

"It's Abigail," she shook his hand before deciding to compliment him. "You seem like a really nice person."

"Nice to meet you, 'It's Abigail'." Alex joked with a chuckle.

Abigail couldn't help but let out a small laugh as well, "Are you going to call me that from now on?"

Alex grinned and replied, "That depends if you're cool with it or not."

"That's completely cool with me," Abigail responded.

As the two continued to talk to each other, Charles was still staring out at the ocean, sitting down and admiring the view. He didn't want to bother anybody, especially if they're conversing with one another. Albienne decided to slip away from the two and enjoy the sunlight beaming down on her parasol. The warmth and silence was enough to keep her happy.

She glanced out at the sea as the boat kept moving, waves forming and colliding with one another, not to mention a few air and water creatures appearing every now and then. As she looked around to analyze her surroundings, she noticed Charles sitting and looking in silence. It was an opportunity for her to form a new bond with another person, so she decided to approach him.

"Howdy there!" Albienne greeted. "This view must be a blessing, am I right?"

Charles turned his head a bit and saw Albienne with a smile, and not wanting to get on her bad side, he turned his whole body around and replied, "Yeah, it looks nice."

"Mind if I sit here?" she asked him politely, gesturing to the open spot next to him.

"Sure," Charles responded and Albienne sat down, her parasol now covering part of his head.

"So what's your name, darlin'?" she asked him before giving her name. "I would love to make some new friends!"

"Charles." he simply answered with a small smile.

"Why, that's an awesome name!" she complimented him, causing his smile to grow more. "It reminds me of Uncle Charles, a kind and smart man!"

"Thanks," he replied to her. "It's cool to be reminded about someone that's been a positive influence."

As all four continued to converse and look out at the water, none of them realized that they were about to reach the island soon. It was still gonna take a little while, but it was becoming more visible.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the dock with the motorboats, the workers were waiting for the second bus to arrive. All of them were conversing with each other through their walkie-talkies, hoping to make time go by quicker.

But their conversing would have to wait because the second bus had finally arrived a little over five minutes later. Similar to the first bus, four people came out — two guys and two girls. This time, one of the female workers was going to take them to the island.

"I'll take it from here," the chill girl said to the others, grabbing a clipboard and seeing them approaching her.

"Alright, let's not waste any time and get onto the boat when your name is called," she said to the four.

"Is Callie here?" she called out for the first person.

"I'm here!" a female voice called out to her as the girl turned to see Callie approach her with a smirk and crossed arms. "I'm definitely ready to play this game!"

She appears to have a lean body with a good amount of muscle, having a white skin tone and blue eyes. She also has brown eyebrows, a hooked nose, and pink lips. Part of her straight, brown hair appears to be covered by her black beanie, but one can assume it could reach her shoulders. Her current attire consists of: a black beanie, a white hooded jacket with a black game controller design on the back, green pants, and black shoes.

As she hopped onto the boat, the worker called for the next person, "Next up, is Ciara here?"

"The one and only!" Ciara stepped up with a small smile, whose expression suddenly changed into one of seriousness. "I ain't gonna hold anything back, and that's nothing but the truth!"

She appears to lean towards the pear body type, being stocky in the thighs and a little bit in the stomach, not to mention muscles that are above average. She has vibrant green eyes, white teeth, some makeup on her face, and somewhat thin lips. Her brunette hair appears to be soft and wavy that reaches down her mid-back; it has volume and frizzes slightly, but not too much. She has a fair skin tone with a slight tan, and has a rose tattoo on her wrist. Her current attire consists of: an oversized graphic tee-like sweatshirt, black leggings, black socks that blend in with her leggings, silver-like mini hoop earrings, a small silver fitbit, and matching pink adidas shoes.

"Two confident people on one boat… interesting," the worker said to herself before calling for the third name. "Alright, is Drake here?"

"Here." Drake approached the dock. "Um… it's nice to be here."

He appears to be tall and lanky, having a pale peach skin tone. His light gray eyes appear to be oval shaped, and his raven black hair appears to have a few spikes jetting forward. His current attire consists of: a dark blue jacket over a purple t-shirt, red faded jeans, and a pair of green sandals.

As he got onto the boat after an awkward moment, the female worker got to the last person, "And lastly, is Eliade here?"

The last of the four was standing still, gazing at the motorboat in front of him as the worker looked confused, "Are you Eliade by any chance? Or do you want me to call you by a nickname?"

His focus then shifted to her, a soft smile appearing as he responded, "You may call me Eli if you want to."

He then gazed at the boat again, "Just like this boat, it has an official name, but it may have other names as well."

He appears to be thin, but has an elegant, strapping figure. He has a square jaw and a prominent nose, complemented by sloping cheeks and a string chin. His face has a carved appearance, as if it was made of wood. His hair appears to be long, thick, and dark; it's styled like a loose, wavy curtain that falls to his shoulders. He has a burnished shade of olive for his skin tone, and his current attire consists of: a pair of form-fitting trousers made of green twill, a white, linen tunic that exposes his chest, a dark pashmina that's embroidered in yellow flowers around his shoulders, and a pair of light-brown mid-calf boots.

After Eliade got on the boat, the female worker let out a sigh of relief, "Alright, let's hope these four aren't too much trouble." She starts up the engine after getting to the front, and begins to drive the motorboat towards the island.

As it began to move, Ciara quickly stood up and broke the silence, "Listen up, y'all! The name's Ciara and let me make one thing clear! By the end of this summer, I'm gonna walk out as the winner of the competition!"

"Is that a challenge I hear?" Callie heard her and stood up with a smirk. "You think you can beat me in this game?"

Ciara's expression was serious, "I would like to see you try! Your ass is gonna be gone if you think about taking me out!"

Callie's smirk grew wider, "Not if I make myself useful to the team!"

Ciara crossed her arms, "What makes you think you're gonna walk out as the winner?"

"My skills," Callie merely responded before holding out her hand, much to Ciara's confusion. "The name's Callie, and I'll admit I respect your confidence. You have potential to be a challenging opponent, but that'll just make it more satisfying for me!"

Ciara shook her hand, "We'll see what happens then. But it's very obvious what the outcome will be."

The two sat back down, Ciara giving her a glare and Callie giving her a smirk. Both of them had confidence and determination, but only one would emerge victorious. In fact, would either of them emerge victorious? They were both ready for the competition, that's for sure.

Meanwhile, Eliade was staring out at the water, but had a blank expression. Drake was sitting next to him, not conversing with anyone and was watching the whole confrontation between Callie and Ciara. He didn't feel like talking to either of them, but after what happened, it was guaranteed he wasn't going to converse with either of them.

As he turned to view the beautiful background, he managed to hear Eliade murmur something, "Waves of life…"

Drake could only listen to him murmur the same thing again, causing him to speak, "Um… were you… talking to me by any chance…?"

Eliade turns and slightly focuses on Drake, "What?"

"Oh, um… I heard you saying… something…" Drake responded.

Eliade's neutral expression turned into a soft smile, "The water waves in front represent life…"

Not wanting to be rude, Drake went along with the conversation, "How so?"

"The waves are formed at random times, just like how people are born at certain times." Eliade told him. "Some waves keep growing bigger and bigger, while others stop growing at a certain point. Like the bonds and conflicts we have, the waves can merge or destroy each other. And at the end, they all face death by hitting the shore… some more impactful than others."

The storyteller concludes, "We see the waves as beauty, and life is a beauty that can be appreciated."

Drake had listened to the whole thing, and he simply said, "That's a nice way... to put it. You do have an awesome sense of creativity…"

"Thank you," Eliade nodded. "You seem like a very kind man…what is your name?"

"I'm Drake…" he forms a small smile. "What's yours?"

"Eliade…" he answered before quickly continuing. "If it's easier for you to remember, then Eli."

"Alright…" Drake extends his hand out. "It's nice to meet you Eli…"

But Eliade didn't return the handshake, as he was now gazing at the water again, the view of its surroundings still looking beautiful as ever.

Out of concern, Drake decided to ask, "Are you okay… Eli?"

But Eliade didn't respond, for as he had a blank expression again. Drake decided to leave him alone and not provoke him any further. He sighed quietly before attempting to fall asleep. It was gonna take a little while to get there, and the two girls weren't getting heated with each other at the moment.

But it wasn't long until Callie decided to make conversation with Ciara again, "So, how do you feel about this island we're about to stay at?"

Ciara raised an eyebrow and replied, "Why?"

Callie shrugged and said, "I can talk about other things, and it's not gonna reveal anything that I'll use to my advantage."

Ciara simply responded, "I've heard it's gonna have nice buildings and five-star quality food. It said so on the application, so I'm sure it won't be in a different environment. Either way, it won't affect my confidence or performance."

As she nodded in response, the island was becoming more visible for boat two.

* * *

Back at the dock, it was now down to four workers and four buses. Like usual, they were conversing with each other through their walkie-talkies. It seems that their boss wasn't there to monitor them, but none of them were misbehaving. And as if on cue, the third bus arrived right on time, five minutes after the second one. Just like the first two buses, four people came out, in which the gender ratio was balanced of two guys and two girls.

"Gee, this is gonna be a lot of fun…" the sarcastic girl rolled her eyes, implying that she was up next.

"You can do this," the positive guy told her through his walkie-talkie.

"That totally makes me feel better," the girl replied in an obvious sarcastic manner, causing the guy to frown.

She grabbed the clipboard and sighed quietly, "If I call your name, come up to the dock and get on the boat."

"Gabriel." she called for the first name.

"I am here," Gabriel walks up to the dock with a small smile and extends his hand out. "It is a pleasure to meet you, ma'am."

He appears to be quite lean, not overly muscular but also not entirely lanky. He has brown eyes and a fair skin tone. His short black hair appears to be neatly styled, so much to the point that one can consider it to look unnatural. His current attire consists of: a white dress shirt, black dress pants with a brown belt around it, and black shoes.

"Likewise," she accepted his handshake with sarcasm before rolling her eyes after seeing him walk away onto the boat.

"Anyways," she called out for the next name. "Gabriela."

"Let's not waste time and get moving," Gabriela spoke with a serious voice and expression as she stepped up. "I'm not gonna tolerate bullshit from anybody."

She appears to have a straight body shape and ectomorph builds, more so lanky and thin. She has an oblong face shape with a pointed chin and a snub nose, also having a beauty mark in the lower left corner of her face with thin lips and bushy eyebrows. Her black hair appears to be at shoulder length and styled in thin dreadlocks that're pulled back, and she has a dark tan skin tone. Her current attire consists of: a brown tank top with imprinted vertical lines sewn into them, baggy green, black, and brown camo pants with a thick black belt around it, low top red converse shoes, four matching wristbands on both arms, and a red bandana with white polka dots that's tied around her forehead.

"Yeah, I'm totally taking my time with this…" the worker sarcastically remarked as soon as Gabriela got onto the boat.

"Moving on," she called for the third name. "Helena."

"Hi there!" Helena stepped up to the dock with a hand on her hip and a bright smile. "I am so excited to be on this show, and I can't wait to compete!"

She appears to be tall and curvaceous, having wide hips, somewhat thick thighs that don't touch, and a large, but not proportional bust and posterior. She has a well-formed face, not being too thin or rounded, and has a pleasant white tone to color, being neither excessively pale or tanned. She has bright, sparkling blue eyes that are rather intoxicating, lips that are full in pleasant and real manner, and a rather flawless complexion. Her silky and smooth blonde hair appears to reach down halfway to her neck, having a straight style and a side swept fringe. Her current attire consists of: a fashionable short denim jacket over a white v-neck shirt, a black pencil skirt, a small silver earring in each ear, and white shoes.

"You don't say…" she remarked as Helena boarded the boat.

She sighs again as she calls for the last name, "And Leon."

"Hello there!" Leon steps up with a grin and snickers before continuing. "What's the main reason people never smile?"

"Gee, that's a good question…" the worker rolled her eyes, not bothering to remark secretly.

"Because they got done running a mile!" Leon laughed at his own joke before seeing the worker with a deadpan expression. "Oh! It's because -"

"Just get on the boat." she facepalmed.

He appears to be relatively thin and skinny, having a tanned skin tone. He has a thin face with thin eyes and a small nose. His black hair appears to be neat while covering one side of his eye. His current attire consists of: a black t-shirt, black ripped jeans, and sneakers. It was also worth pointing out that he has glasses dangling on his shirt.

As he boarded the boat, the female worker sighed and muttered, "I really hate this job." From there, as she started the engine after reaching the front, the third boat would take off.

With the motorboat moving and the four sitting next to each other in silence, Helena took the initiative, "Hey, everyone! I'm Helena, and I hope we all get along and become friends during the competition!"

Gabriel nodded and held out his hand, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Helena. My name is Gabriel."

"Hi there!" Helena greeted and shook his hand. "Are you excited to compete on a reality television show too? It's gonna be a memorable experience!"

"Yes, I am rather eager to partake in the competition." Gabriel replied.

"I do wonder what the island will be like…" Helena wondered out loud. "The food, the environment, the other people who I'll compete against… lots of questions!"

"Yeah," Gabriel simply replied. "I hope the show will be safe for everyone and not put us into any sort of danger during the competition."

"I'm sure the producers will keep us safe!" Helena assured him before turning to look out at the water. "Wow! This view looks so beautiful! The water and the sky look amazing!"

Gabriel turned his body to observe the view, "I agree. This view looks magnificent."

As the two looked at the water and sky in almost complete silence, this left Leon and Gabriela by themselves. She had a neutral expression and looked like she didn't want to be bothered, while he still had a smile on his face and looked ready to go for the whole day.

Leon decides to talk to her, "Hey! Do you wanna hear a joke?"

"I would rather not," Gabriela bluntly replied to him.

Leon simply laughed in response, "Well, you haven't heard it yet! So give it a chance and see what happens!"

Gabriela sighed, "Just say it before I lose my shit."

"So why aren't boats able to fly?" Leon asked her with a grin.

"Because they're designed to float and move on water?" Gabriela answered the obvious.

"Nope!" Leon paused for a little bit for dramatic anticipation before giving his answer. "Because the designers don't want oats falling from the sky!"

As Leon busted out laughing, Gabriela groaned and facepalmed, "That doesn't make any sense at all…"

"Oh! It's because oats is a part of the word boats," Leon began to explain. "And oats is a cereal wheat that -"

"I get it," Gabriela interrupted him. "Now don't tell me another damn joke."

Leon shrugged with a grin, "If you say so! What's your name, by the way?"

"Gabriela." she told him.

"Oh, cool! My name is Leon!" he held out his hand.

After shaking his hand with reluctance, she told him, "Do me a favor and not bother me for the rest of this trip."

"Okay! I'll talk to you once we get there!" Leon decided to converse with Gabriel and Helena, leaving Gabriela to relax unbothered.

"What an annoying fucker," Gabriela muttered.

Meanwhile, Leon barged into the current conversation between Helena and Gabriel, "Hello! My name's Leon! And would you like to hear a joke?"

Helena had a bubbly smile and said, "Hi! I'm Helena, and I would love to hear a joke!"

Gabriel nodded and held out his hand, "Gabriel."

After Leon shook Gabriel's hand, he proceeded, "Okay, okay! So there's this person who tried to run me down on the same bike everyday."

Helena looked concerned, "That's terrible! I hope you didn't get hurt by this person!"

Gabriel nodded in agreement, "So what were the details of this situation?"

"All I can say is," Leon paused for dramatic anticipation. "It was a vicious cycle!"

Gabriel chuckled, "That is a rather good joke."

Helena started giggling, "It was really creative!"

Leon looked confused before asking, "So do you want me to explain the joke?"

"I believe an explanation is not required." Gabriel answered him. "It was very easy to understand."

Leon then busted out laughing from his own joke, Helena giggling along and Gabriel watching with a small smile.

Gabriela was simply observing the motorboat, "I'll try to kill time by inspecting this… that dude is getting on my damn nerves."

With all four occupied, none noticed that they were getting closer to the island.

* * *

Back at the dock, they were halfway done with only three buses to go. The intelligent male worker was sitting down, tired from standing for a while. With the last female worker nervously waiting and the positive guy walking around to keep himself active, it was only a short matter of time before the next bus arrived.

"So according to my memory, you're going next, she's going after you, and then I go last." the intelligent worker told them through his walkie-talkie.

"That's correct, bro!" the positive guy told him.

"Okay, okay. That'll give me time to avoid messing up the introductions." the nervous woman replied.

And right as she finished talking, the fourth bus arrived on time and on cue. Like the first three buses, four people came out and it consisted of two guys and two girls.

"Sweet! It's my time to shine!" the positive guy picked up his clipboard as the four approached him.

"Alright, the procedure is very simple! When I call your name, come up to the dock and step onto this nice-looking boat!" the positive guy told them before calling out for the first name. "So, is Mason here?"

"Someone's looking very positive today!" Mason walked up with a grin on his face. "So who was the person on their knees?"

The positive guy looked confused, "What do you mean?"

Mason still had a grin, "Unless if it's something you use as a coping mechanism."

He appears to be pretty small, not having much muscle so he's somewhat skinny. He has a small, round head; the same goes for his purple eyes which have a slight devilish gleam to them. His orange hair appears to be messy that goes all over the place, and he has a white skin tone. His current attire consists of: a purple shirt with a yellow swirl going towards the center, black shorts with the pockets hanging out, black shoes with one untied, and two different socks. One is white and the other is black, and both of them come up to different lengths along his legs.

"A coping what?" the positive worker looked confused. "I'm really sorry, but I am on a schedule so could you please get on the boat?"

As Mason got onto the boat, he called for the next person, "Alright, our next person is May!"

"Hi there!" she greeted him with a smile. "I can't wait to compete on this show and be on live television!"

"I love that optimism!" the positive guy shouted.

"Thanks!" May replied to him.

She appears to have a slim and slender body, pretty much well-fit. Her face is snowy white and somewhat slim, as her eyes appear to have a shine to it. Her black hair appears to be long and straight, reaching to the back of her chest and is held together by three hair pins. The lower tip of her hair is dyed a cool shade of purple, and she has a whitish tan skin tone. Her current attire consists of: a red shirt, a beige vest, jean shorts, and light purple running shoes.

Once she got onto the boat, he called for the third person, "Alright, it is Melissa's turn!"

"Aha! A new character!" Melissa runs up to him. "Hmm, after a quick analysis using my upgraded scanner, you appear to be harmless."

He chuckled, "I'm not gonna hurt you. I would get fired and go to jail."

She appears to be lanky, having a mocha skin tone. Her face appears to be oval shaped with blue eyes; her black hair appears to be really messy and frizzy. She has freckles on her face, and her current attire consists of: a blue beret atop her hair, a lime green shirt with the words "Dungeon Queen" on the front, blue jeans, purple framed glasses, a pink sweater tied around her waist, and red sneakers.

"So all monsters should go to jail?" the worker asked her curiously.

"Yes! The dreaded 'Steel Prison' that will bring justice for all of the brave heroes!" Melissa pumped her arm up with excitement before boarding the boat.

He chuckled again and looked at the clipboard again, only one person left, "And that means you must be Nikolai!"

"Yup, that's me." Nikolai nodded at the worker before boarding the boat, not having anything else to say.

He appears to be pretty lean, not super muscular but not super skinny either. He has a fairly round face with slightly thick eyebrows, a fairly small nose, brown eyes, small ears, and thin lips. His hair appears to be at neck-length and combed back, styled plainly straight. His current attire consists of: a red polo shirt, blue shorts, and black tennis shoes.

"I have a good feeling he'll get along with Pancake." the worker commented to himself. "I don't know why, but my gut says so."

He shook off the thought and focused on reality again, "Oh, shoot. I shouldn't leave them here for too long. Gotta get moving!"

He got to the front of the boat and started up the engine, letting it do most of the work as he started to drive towards the island.

For a short moment, the boat was silent and everyone was doing their own thing. From there, a voice broke the silence.

"Aha! I have rolled a six!" Melissa's voice can be heard as she was rolling a die. "My boat adventure will not encounter any dangerous obstacles!"

"My boat adventure is already dealing with an obstacle." Mason commented with a grin.

"And what is this obstacle that you may need help with?" Melissa asked him.

"It's someone I can hear right now." Mason answered.

"Hmm, this sounds very serious!" Melissa told him, not getting that he's referring to her. "I will restock my health potions before I begin this quest!"

"What kind of quest are you talking about?" May asked her with a smile. "I am curious!"

"I am on a quest to find someone!" Melissa told her. "I have already used my scanner on him, and he doesn't seem to have any evil intentions!"

"That's good!" May exclaimed. "As long as there isn't anything terrifying."

"I will be ready to bring the fight against the horror and terror!" Melissa shouted before looking at May. "My name is Melissa the Dungeon Queen! Melissa also works as well."

"Nice to meet you, Melissa!" May held her hand out. "My name is May!"

"Awesome!" Melissa shook her hand. "Now we must find clues!"

As Melissa and May were having their own conversation, this left Mason and Nikolai to sit in silence. Mason still had a grin on his face and was leaning back against his seat while Nikolai appeared to be listening on to their conversation.

"You know," Mason began to speak, catching Nikolai's attention. "We all lose brain cells everyday, but that girl with the die must be losing twice the amount."

"Yeah," Nikolai simply said.

Mason looked at him, "Looks like I have your attention! You seem awfully quiet right now, like you're being a creepy stalker. Is Norman Bates sitting next to me?"

"That's a unique way of describing me." Nikolai told him.

"Aha! So you're not denying that you're like him!" Mason exclaimed.

"Would you have taken 'no' as an answer?" Nikolai asked.

"Eh, probably not." Mason snickered. "But it's already too late for that, Mister Bates!"

"I guess it's too late for me then," Nikolai shrugged.

"Don't be such a hopeless person!" Mason patted him on the back. "That's out of character for Norman Bates to give up easily! And besides, he was successful in achieving his goals!"

"Yeah." Nikolai said to him.

As Mason was about to reply to him, Melissa beat them to the punch, "I have returned! I've gathered more information about this obstacle you're up against!"

"What are you talking about?" Mason looked genuinely confused.

"Aha! This someone you can hear can apply an amnesia spell!" Melissa exclaimed. "There was a fifty percent chance!"

While Mason was attempting to get an idea of what Melissa's talking about, Nikolai was watching and listening on to the conversation.

"Hmm, I have an idea of those two," Nikolai said to himself quietly before frowning a little bit. "But I'll probably end up forgetting some of the details once I get my bag back."

"Wow! This view looks beautiful!" May's voice can be heard as she was indeed looking out and talking to no one in particular.

"Check it out, Melissa!" May called for her, causing the roleplayer to quickly come to her. "The water looks so clean and beautiful! It's like we're in paradise right now! I wonder how the island will be as well!"

As the two girls conversed, Mason had decided to take a nap and Nikolai was staring off at a random cloud. All of them were doing their own thing, and there wasn't any tension between the four. It was peaceful, and all the way until they got there.

* * *

Back at the dock, while there was normally chatter among the workers, the last two were standing in silence. The nervous female worker was adjusting her hair and uniform to make sure she appeared spot-on. On the other hand, the intelligent male worker was staring at the clouds blankly, his brain not having to go into action all of the time.

After almost a minute, he checked his watch and spoke into his walkie-talkie, "Just so you know, you have less than a minute to get yourself prepared before the bus comes."

"You're not helping!" she yelled at him through her walkie-talkie.

"Panicking doesn't help either." he bluntly replied before seeing the bus arrive. "Well, I hope you do your best."

Four people came out as expected, two guys and two girls to keep the gender ratio balanced. The female worker grabbed her clipboard and stood like a professional that was ready to kick ass at her job.

"Hello, everyone! I hope you're all doing well!" the female worker greeted with a smile. "I don't want to keep you four waiting for too long, so when I call your name, come up and board this motorboat!"

She grabs her clipboard and calls out the first name, "If your name is Olivia, then come on up and onto the motorboat!"

Olivia walks up with a smile, "Hey, what's up? I gotta say, this is good weather to travel to an island!"

She appears to be tall and slim, having a slightly tanned skin tone. She has a round face, small nose, normal ears, and blue eyes. Her red hair appears to be long and in a ponytail, and there are three moles on her face that are positioned like the Orion's Belt. Her current attire consists of: a black top with a blue sleeveless jacket over it, blue short shorts, and green running shoes.

The female worker nodded in agreement, "That's why the competition will take place in the summer! It's the perfect time for warm weather! Now, whenever you're ready, you may hop onto the motorboat!"

After Olivia got on the boat, the female worker called for the next person, "Up next, if your name is Rosa, then come on up and onto the motorboat!"

"Hi, I'm Rosa." the girl with said name walked up to her with a small smile. "It's cool to be here."

She appears to be short and rather slim, having a slightly tanned skin tone. She has a slim face with small, blue eyes. Her pink hair appears to be long, straight, and flowing that reaches to about a little bit after her shoulders. On her left side, near her shoulder, is a yellow ribbon. Her current attire consists of: a black skirt that stops above her knees, white knee high socks, a light pink shirt with a star symbol around her right shoulder, and a necklace with a golden rose at the center.

"That's good!" the female worker exclaimed. "So how do you feel about the competition?"

To her surprise, when Rosa responds to her, the small smile is replaced by a serious expression, "I'll do my best to win the game."

"I like that confidence!" the worker told her, unfazed by the sudden change of expression. "Now go ahead and join Olivia!"

As Rosa walked away, the worker couldn't help but shudder a bit and mutter, "I hate being rude, but I felt uncomfortable with that look."

She quickly regained composure and her eyes darted back to the clipboard, "So with two more to go, the next person I'm going to call is Therion!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Therion walked up and told her with calmness.

"Nice to meet you too, Therion!" the female worker smiled at him. "Are you excited for the competition?"

"Yeah, I am excited." he simply told her.

He appears to have a slim frame and a muscular physique, having a warm beige skin tone. He has almond shaped, dark brown eyes with dark circles under his eyes and a stubble with a soul patch. His black, surfer-style hair appears to have long bangs that cover his right eye, a few layers of the back is slightly swooped outward, and it reaches to his shoulder. His current attire consists of: a black and red unzipped hoodie jacket that reaches just above his midriff, a dark gray shirt with a white wolf decal, black sweatpants, black and red checkerboard running shoes, prescribed long black-rimmed glasses, a wolf necklace, and a black bracelet on his wrist.

"That's good!" she told him as he got on the boat, allowing her to transition back to her clipboard. "So that means the last person on here is Thiago! Come on up!"

But her expression changes to one of worry and concern as Thiago approaches her, "Goodness! You look really tired! Are you okay?!"

"Yeah, don't worry about me." Thiago gives her an assuring smile. "I do appreciate your concern though."

He appears to be streamlined and angular, having a dark olive skin tone. He has a sharp, stubbled jaw and a pointed nose that's flanked by heavy, well-shaped eyebrows. His black hair appears to be scruffy that falls to the base of his neck. His current attire consists of: a pair of dark-wash skinny jeans, a black muscle tee, and a pair of circular camera-glasses that are currently on his forehead.

"A-Are you sure?!" she stutters out of concern.

"There's no need to worry about me," Thiago reassures her. "Getting us there should be your main objective."

And after Thiago joined the others, she shook off her nervousness and told herself, "Okay, you did a great job! Now just focus on driving and getting all of them there safely."

After she started the engine and got to the front where the steering wheel was, the motorboat was off and heading towards the island.

As it was moving, there was silence among the four, but it was the peaceful silence and they were all relaxing comfortably…

Except for Rosa.

She appeared to be slightly nervous and was holding on to the seat in case if something happened. It wasn't too bad that she couldn't or didn't want to move, but it was obvious that she wasn't comfortable on the boat. Thankfully, Olivia noticed this because she was sitting next to her.

"Hey, you okay?" Olivia asked her with a concerned look. "I know this is our first time talking, but I'm here to talk or help."

Rosa looked at her with a serious expression, "I'm fine."

"I won't judge," Olivia gave her an assuring smile. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"I'll be fine…" Rosa trailed off.

"Alright, let me know if you want to talk!" Olivia told her before officially introducing herself. "By the way, my name's Olivia in case you want my name."

Rosa nodded before looking away and down at the ground. She felt a bit better that Olivia was willing to be there for her.

"Thank you, Olivia…" she trailed off quietly.

Meanwhile, Therion and Thiago were sitting next to each other in silence, both of them relaxing against their seats. Therion had a blank look and looked like he was staring at the water behind Thiago. Speaking of which, Thiago was inspecting a couple of clouds and tilting his head occasionally to get better angle views.

As he reverted his head forward to face the others again, he noticed Therion's blank look and stare. It wasn't aimed at him, but he still felt a bit creeped out.

"Hey, are you looking at me by any chance?" Thiago decided to ask him. "Or are you looking at something else?"

Therion snapped out of his blank look and looked at Thiago, "What was the question you asked me?"

He decided to repeat the question, "Were you looking at me, or were you looking at something else?"

"I was looking at the water," Therion answered for him.

"Ah! I don't blame you for doing so," Thiago said to him. "Like the clouds in the sky, water is also a beauty. And there's a lot of aesthetics above water and underwater.

"Yeah, it does look nice." Therion told him.

Thiago nodded in agreement before asking him, "What's your name?"

"I'm Therion," he answered him. "How about you?"

"Thiago." the two shook hands before Thiago heard Therion yawning. "You're tired too?"

"Yeah, I am." Therion admitted. "I think this is a good time for a nap…"

Thiago chuckled, "You're not the only one."

The conversation ended and both guys went back to doing their own thing. But as they were about to most likely fall asleep and take their naps, another voice woke them up…

"Hey, guys!" Olivia greeted them cheerfully. "How's it going?"

Therion nodded, "I'm good. I was about to take a nap."

"Oh, sorry!" Olivia left him alone.

From there, Thiago and Olivia engaged in a conversation while Therion slept and Rosa was being herself.

* * *

Back at the dock, the intelligent male worker was the only one left there. The other five had already taken off with four contestants each, and it was obvious he was going to be responsible for the same amount of people.

He finally decided to sit down and relax his legs from standing for a while as he checked his watch, "Hmm, so if I'm not mistaken, the bus will be here in about less than two minutes."

It was clear he was talking to himself, but he didn't bother attempting to keep it quiet, "And if I'm not mistaken, the first boat should arrive at the island in under seven minutes, assuming nothing has affected it that would delay the arrival time."

He sighed and looked up at the clouds in the sky, "If only I was given social skills as well. I like being intelligent, but there's no point if you don't have anybody to talk to that cares. There must be a way for me to get out of this miserable job… I deserve better than this."

As he was venting out his thoughts, a honk from the bus thankfully got him to regain his composure. He stood back up and saw four people come out of it, two guys and two girls like the other groups.

Grabbing a clipboard, he began to speak, "If your name is called, then step forward and onto this 2006 white motorboat."

"First up, Theresa Valentine." he called for the first person by mentioning first and last name.

"Here." Theresa sighed as she walked up and got on the boat, not stopping to converse with the worker or even look at him.

She appears to be skinny on the upper part of her body, and curvaceous on the lower part. She has a makeup-free face with a small nose, thin lips, blue eyes, and small hoop earrings. Her brown hair appears to be slightly long and messy, strands of hair sticking out like she had just woke up. She has a fair skin tone, and her current attire consists of: a black hoodie, blue jeans, black socks, and white sneakers.

The worker sighed and muttered, "That was rude."

But he quickly shook it off and called for the second name, "Next up, Tom Nguyen."

The moment he called for Tom, he heard him shouting, "Whoo hoo! Let's do this!"

The worker turned his head and saw Tom running past him, and before he could say anything, it was already too late. Tom had decided to jump onto the boat and nothing was going to stop him. Theresa was sitting in a seat and not moving as Tom landed hard on his back onto the other seat.

But much to the worker's surprise, Tom sat back up after suffering a nasty landing that could've injured or killed him, like nothing had happened.

Seeing the disapproving look the worker gave him, Tom chuckled and scratched the back of his head, "My bad, bro!"

He sighed again and attempted to ignore what had just happened, but couldn't help but snark quietly, "What an absolute dumbass…"

He appears to be mostly slim, but also a little bit muscular, having a tanned skin tone. He has slightly small, brown eyes with a medium-sized nose, and thin lips. His black hair appears to be gelled with the front part spiked up. His current attire consists of: a short-sleeved, white polo shirt, long blue pants, white socks, and green Nike shoes.

"Up next, Velvet Ruto." he quickly went into professional mode and called for the third name.

Velvet walks up to the worker with a small smile, "Hey, what's up, dude."

"Everything seems to be going well so far," the worker answered. "After I'm done with this job, I am ready to go home and set up my new monitor. I would love to explain all of the parts, but I can't be here all day."

"That's pretty cool, dude." Velvet tells him before offering a fistbump, in which the worker gladly returns.

He appears to have a lean build with very defined biceps and a clear V-line. He has sharp, dark brown eyes with plump pink lips, a somewhat small nose, a dimple on both cheeks, and a three inch, thick black band tattooed around his entire right bicep. His scruffy, black hair appears to be in an unstyled, messy undercut with bangs that fall just above his eyes. He has a somewhat pale skin tone, and his current attire consists of: a black tank top, black jeans with a white leather belt around it, pristine white shoes, silver rings on both middle fingers, and black stud earrings on both lobes.

As Velvet walks away and gets on the boat, the worker feels a small smile coming to his face, "Finally, someone who is actually interested in what I have to say…"

He shook off the feeling and got back to his job, looking at the clipboard again, "And lastly, Xanthia Ranston."

Rather than walking up to him like Velvet did, Xanthia instead walked on her hands to approach him.

"Is there a reason you're hand walking to me?" the worker asked. "You should be careful since you'll risk fainting or becoming light headed if the blood rushes to your head."

"Ah, don't worry. I'm used to doing this anyways," Xanthia answered his question. "Besides, I've wanted to do this with someone."

"At least it's better than being rude or jumping onto a boat and landing on your back," the worker told her, referring to Theresa and Tom.

"Yeah, I do agree." Xanthia told him. "It's better to do something that's not worth risking your health over."

She appears to be very curvaceous and very tall, having a peach-colored skin tone. Her face looks both youthful and mature with relaxed brown eyes, a small nose, and a smooth chin. Her golden brown hair appears to be straight, and she has simple golden studs in both lobes. Her current attire consists of: a low-cut silver v-neck t-shirt, a black and yellow diamond patterned pleated skirt that's held up by deep red suspenders, red knee-high socks, and black Mary Janes.

After she reverted to standing on her feet and boarding the boat, the worker nodded and said to himself, "Let's hope nothing will delay my arrival time."

In a short time, the worker got the engine running and started driving the motorboat after reaching the front, the last group on their way to the island.

The four were engaged in their own thing in silence: Theresa looking down at the ground, Xanthia doing a handstand on the seat, Velvet relaxing against his seat, and Tom sitting on the edge with his legs dangling over the water.

Theresa sighed and said to herself, "Why am I even here…? This is gonna be a waste of time…"

Theresa then looked at Xanthia, not caring that she was doing a handstand, "I can tell you're gonna be better than me in this game."

"What makes you say that?" Xanthia asked her.

"Well…" Theresa trailed off. "You can do a handstand and I can't… I know I'll never be able to do one."

"I don't think a handstand is the only factor that goes into a competition," Xanthia told her.

"Yeah, you're right…" Theresa sighed again. "Why did I even say anything…?"

"There wasn't anything wrong with what you said," Xanthia gave her a small smile while reverting to sitting down.

"No… there was." Theresa told her with sadness. "But it's okay, I'll be fine."

Theresa sighed for the third time in a short period, "I'll be fine for this game… don't worry about me, okay?"

"I'll take your word for it," Xanthia gave her a promising smile.

Theresa turned away and continued to look down while Xanthia decided to take a nap on the edge. It didn't look comfortable and there was a chance she could fall off into the water, but Xanthia was already asleep. The sound of the motorboat and its movement didn't bother her at all.

Meanwhile, on the guy's side, Velvet and Tom had not said anything to each other, or in general.

That was until Velvet noticed Tom sitting on the edge, "You might wanna be careful, dude."

"Don't worry, bro." Tom assured him. "I'm not gonna fall off."

"Alright. Just be careful, dude." Velvet told him. "You did take a nasty landing earlier when you jumped onto the boat."

"I'll be careful in the future," Tom assured him. "What's your name?"

"The name's Velvet," he held out his hand. "And yours?"

"Tom." they shook hands before both went back to doing their own thing.

Tom was gazing out at the beautiful view while Velvet enjoyed the warm weather the sun was providing him.

At the front, the worker heard his walkie-talkie speak with someone's voice.

"The first group is about to arrive at the island," a male voice can be heard.

The competition was about to begin.

* * *

**Let me start by patting myself on the back! After 12,000 words, the chapter is finally completed! All of the contestants have been introduced, and I believe all of them have a reasonable amount of reading time. I know it took quite a while, but through the writer's block, personal issues, and constantly going through all of the applications again to avoid making them out-of-character, I am proud of what I have written!**

**So it may seem like I'm being bias towards certain contestants because some have less dialogue than others. Let me clarify that not everyone is a talkative extrovert who can maintain a conversation for a long time that easily. Some are shy and some don't want to socialize that much, so please don't assume that I'm going to play favorites. I have a neutral standing for all of the contestants, and everyone will receive enough time to be developed. The elimination order will be based on what best fits the overall story, not because of me.**

**And when it came to the appearance description, just know that some parts got left out for a good reason. I didn't want to put every single thing from the application and put it into the paragraph... that would be essentially copying and pasting. So don't think I left out something on accident; no, I did it on purpose.**

**Now moving on to the question! In fact, I would like to ask two questions for you to answer in your review for this chapter. Of course, they're entirely optional, and it can be short or long.**

**Question 01: Which character from each boat group caught your interest? You cannot pick your own submitted character(s).**

**Question 02: How did I do with your character(s)? This is the time where you can give me honest feedback so I can improve and fix them.**

**Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and feel free to leave any positive feedback and criticism in your review or in private. If you have any questions or concerns, ask me privately. Until then, take care!**


	4. Episode 01, Part 02 - Orientation

**Welcome back, fellow reader! I'm glad you're able to join me for the second part of the first episode! I know we're currently going through a tough time, but I hope I'm able to provide comfort and happiness with my story. With me being at home everyday now, I hope I'm able to update this story more often.**

**Before I begin the chapter, I do want to give a shoutout to a certain someone with a certain story that could use some more love and attention. I would like to let you know that a very good friend of mine on this website, GoldEmblem, has written his own Total Drama story called Total Drama Island: Revamped! Feel free to check out his story and show it some love!**

**So let's get right into the chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

Back at the island, it had been nearly thirty minutes since the boat with the first group had departed. It was also around the same time that Chris had finished filming his introduction segment. He was right; it only took him one try to nail it.

He decided to celebrate by relaxing on the same lawn chair from earlier and drinking a juice bottle with shades over his eyes. It wasn't gonna be long until the boats started arriving, so he might as well make good use of the free time he had.

As he took another sip of the fruit punch, he noticed someone familiar walking nearby…

It was Trish, and he decided to call for her, "Trish! Did you see my performance?!"

Taking off his shades as Trish started to walk towards him, he heard her say, "Yes, I saw your introduction segment."

Chris smirked and responded, "I told you I could do it in a few takes or less. In fact, after the filming session was over, one of the cameramen told me that there wasn't a need for a second take."

"I am aware of that," Trish told him. "And I never doubted you for a moment, so well done."

"Thanks!" Chris's smirk turned into a smile. "So what's the next plan?"

Trish crossed her arms and began to go into detail, "While the camera team is editing your introduction footage, the boat drivers are on their way here. Once all of them arrive, then you'll be notified and you'll introduce the contestants to the competition. You'll explain how the game will work, give them a tour of the camp, and answer any questions if they have any."

"So be a tour guide?" Chris asked and Trish nodded as an answer. "Alright, I can do that. They are gonna ask for lunch though, and I don't wanna deal with the constant complaints."

"Just do your best to ignore them if they start to become annoying," Trish gave him advice. "But if it gets to that point where they're irritating, then feel free to yell at them. The camera team will edit it out, just as long as you don't do it too much."

"Nice!" Chris wanted to compliment the camera team. "I have to say, me and the camera crew are going to get along very well!"

"Don't push your luck, they're only willing to do so much before they refuse to help you." Trish bluntly told him. "But you're dealing with young adults, not little kids. I doubt they'll complain a lot about food."

"You're not wrong about that." Chris agreed with her before changing the topic. "So how will I be notified exactly?"

"One of the staff members will come up and let you know," Trish answered his question. "In the meantime, I'd suggest going over the papers Mr. Westwood gave you so you can get an idea of what to mention during the orientation."

"It's easy stuff," Chris told her with a smirk. "Just like earlier, I'll get through the orientation with one go!"

"You only get to have one chance for this one," Trish told him with a stern look. "You're gonna deal with live people along with the cameras."

Chris shrugged, "It still won't be a problem for me."

Trish rolled her eyes, "Alright, I'll take your word for it. But that arrogance is starting to become really irritating."

Chris couldn't help but smirk, "You can't be too mad at me if I'm good at my job."

Trish sighed in annoyance, "It's only your first day on the job and I've never met anyone more arrogant than you."

Then, she saw the juice bottle Chris was holding and changed the topic, "What flavor is that?"

Chris looked confused for a brief moment before realizing that she was talking about the bottle, "Uh… it's fruit punch. Why do you ask?"

She kept staring at the bottle before answering, "Do you think I could get a waterfall? I've always wanted to try the fruit punch flavor."

"Sure, knock yourself out." Chris handed the bottle to her and watched her drink some of it. "You've never had any fruit punch before?"

After she was done, she handed the bottle back to him and answered, "Nope. But I have to say, it tastes really good."

Chris looked shocked at what she had said, "But fruit punch is one of the most popular juice flavors! You must've had a sip of it at some point!"

"I wasn't really a juice or soda fan growing up," Trish said to him. "Most of the time, I just drank water because it's the healthiest liquid you can drink."

Chris nodded in understanding, "It does help keep my face clean and acne-free. But there's nothing wrong with putting in more soda and juice into your system. Just as long as you wash it down with water, then there's nothing to worry about."

"You seem to have forgotten that cavities aren't the only issue from drinking too much juice or soda," Trish reminded him.

"You shouldn't take everything from the internet so seriously," Chris lets out a small laugh. "And besides, no one would think about drinking only juice and soda almost 24/7."

"It has nothing to do with the internet," Trish corrected him. "This all has to do with my personal experiences and nothing else."

Before Chris could respond to her, a familiar cameraman decided to interrupt the two. Without saying a word, he walked up to them and stared until they noticed. Of course, when they both saw him, they were startled and a bit frightened.

"Gold! Do me a favor and say something next time if you're gonna approach me!" Trish yelled at him, something that surprised Chris.

"Both of the Westwood members want you in their office," Gold simply told her. "It's an important meeting that you must attend."

Trish nodded and then looked at Chris, "I'll talk to you later."

Chris decided to get prepared.

* * *

"The first group is about to arrive at the island," the male voice belonged to the driver of the first boat as he spoke into the walkie-talkie.

"Do you know where to park?" another male voice came from his walkie-talkie.

"Yeah, by the beach next to the dock." he answered the voice before speaking into what appears to be an intercom microphone.

"We will be arriving in about two minutes," the male worker with a dead phone announced.

It appeared that the announcement was directed towards the four contestants: Abigail, Albienne, Alex, and Charles.

"Well, it looks like we're almost here!" Albienne exclaimed with excitement. "Are y'all ready for this?"

"Yeah, I'm ready to visit the movie set," Alex joked, but got a confused look from Albienne.

"A movie set? Ain't we going to an island?" Albienne asked.

"We are," Alex answered before letting out a chuckle, "Sorry, I was just kidding about the movie set part."

"No worries, darlin'!" Albienne chuckled. "I thought 'movie set' was another word for 'island'! From where I was raised, they have completely different meanings!"

"I think it's the same for everyone," Abigail informed her with a small smile. "But it would be cool if it was a movie set."

"It would make sense," Alex added. "I wouldn't be surprised if we ended up meeting a famous actor or actress."

"Islands are usually a good place to shoot scenes." Abigail commented. "It has a variety of different backgrounds that can work for many movie genres."

Alex looked curious, "So where else would be good places to film for a show or a movie?"

"It depends on the genre and the context of the scene," Abigail answered.

"Ah, that's really cool." Alex complimented. "I've always wondered about the process in filming some of the scenes."

While the two continued to converse with each other, Albienne quietly slipped away from them and decided to check up on Charles, who was still sitting there and looking out at the view.

"Howdy, Charles!" Albienne greeted him again before sitting next to him. "Are you ready to see this island?"

"Yeah, I am." Charles gave her a small smile to make sure he was okay. "It would be nice if we got to see this view everyday."

"It would be a blessing!" Albienne agreed with him. "It's just as beautiful as the view I would see with my aunt!"

"That's nice to know," Charles said before asking her a question. "Are you ready to stay at this island?"

"Absolutely!" Albienne exclaimed. "I've heard a lot of great things about this world! I'm sure this island will be a wonderful experience for me!"

"That's good," Charles said to her before looking at the view again. "I think being on a television show and competing for a lot of money will be interesting."

"A once in a lifetime experience!" Albienne added.

"Yeah, it's definitely something you can't experience often." Charles agreed with her.

And suddenly, the intercom came to life again.

"We have arrived at Wawanakwa Island." the boat driver announced to the four. "Head off the boat and stay on the beach until you're told otherwise."

"Alright!" Albienne shouted with excitement before hopping off the boat and landing onto the sand.

Alex followed suit and took a look around him, "Heh, this looks pretty cool. The beach looks clean too."

"This island looks really beautiful," Abigail commented as she stepped off the boat.

"It does," Charles agreed with her as he carefully got off the boat.

"I wonder why we ain't allowed to go anywhere else," Albienne thought out loud.

"I think it's because we're supposed to wait for the other contestants to arrive." Alex gave her the answer. "I remember the application did say there were 24 people competing in total."

"That is true," Abigail agreed with him. "I do hope the other contestants are sweet and kind, but I doubt all of them will be."

"Yeah, I know there'll be some bad apples." Alex joked and agreed with her. "I think we should just avoid and ignore them."

Abigail chuckled, "We could also vote them out too."

Alex nodded in agreement, right before their boat driver suddenly appeared.

He was standing in front of the four with hands behind his back, "So while you four are waiting for the others to arrive, I've been told to give you all one of these…"

Then, he shows them a metal can that contains four popsicle sticks, "When I call your name, come up and grab the stick that I hand to you. Trades and swaps are not allowed."

"Abigail," he called for the first name as she stepped forward and was handed a popsicle stick with the bottom part being colored blue.

"Thank you, sir." Abigail thanked him respectfully before facing the others. "I see the color blue on my popsicle stick."

"Albienne," he called for the second name as she stepped forward and was handed a popsicle stick with the bottom part being colored red.

"Thank you, darlin'!" Albienne thanked him and then told the others. "I see red, y'all! I sure do hope this stick won't give me any curses!"

"Alex," he called for the third name as he stepped forward and was handed a popsicle stick with the bottom part being colored green.

"Thank you," he nodded and smiled at the driver as a gesture before looking at the others. "My popsicle stick appears to be green."

"And Charles," he called for the final name as he stepped forward and was handed a popsicle stick with the bottom part being colored yellow.

"Thanks," Charles said to him before telling the others. "I got yellow for mine."

"So you all have different colors," their boat driver tells them. "In case you haven't figured it out yet, those colors represent your team you'll be competing on."

"So we're all on different teams?" Alex asked, wanting clarification.

"Yes," he answered. "Now wait for the others to arrive before splitting off."

While the four continued where they left off with their conversations and discussed more about the sticks, the second boat group appeared to be nearly arriving.

* * *

"Alright, I can see the island with my eyes." the chill girl spoke through her walkie-talkie. "I will estimate that I'll arrive in about two minutes, give or take."

"I have given my group the popsicle sticks," the first driver told her through his walkie-talkie.

"Good job, man." she praised him before grabbing the intercom microphone to make the announcement. "Attention, passengers! We will be arriving at the island in about two minutes! Thanks!"

"Looks like we're almost here," Callie told Ciara with a smirk. "It's almost time to partake in the game!"

"Yeah, but let's be real here," Ciara gave her a serious look. "Even if you're actually as good as you claim yourself to be, at the end of the day, the results will still be the same."

"We'll see if you can defeat me," Callie responded with her body relaxed against her seat. "But winning this game will be like unlocking an easy achievement."

"You're talking like this whole competition will be easy for you," Ciara rolled her eyes.

"I have confidence!" Callie proudly states to her.

"So do I, but at least I'll take this competition seriously." Ciara retorted against her. "You can go ahead and treat it like it's easy. You're gonna learn the hard way and pay the price."

Callie shrugged, "I'm taking the competition seriously too. I know there'll be difficult challenges and obstacles in my way, but it's not something that's completely new and foreign to me."

"You've competed in other reality competition shows?" Ciara asked her.

"Nah, the competition still has the same principles applied." Callie explains to her. "Similar to a fun video game."

The two then sat in silence, not having a conversation about anything else. Meanwhile, Drake was sitting by himself in silence; he occasionally took a glance at Eliade, who was still gazing at the water.

But Eliade then suddenly reverted his focus back to reality, smiling at Drake, "Water of calmness…"

"Oh, um… you said water of calmness…?" Drake asked him.

"The water is something that can keep us calm…" Eliade trailed off as he started to explain. "It can do a lot of things to benefit the living… provide for survival, cool the body down, give entertainment to the humans…"

"But by looking at the water and how calm it moves, the human can feel a sense of calmness as well," Eliade continued to explain. "Water is an aesthetic beauty that can bring calm and peace to even the angriest of people, and it's something to be thankful for."

After finishing, Drake looked at him with a small smile and said, "That's true about water… it was a nice explanation… Eli."

"Thank you, Drake." Eliade kindly thanked him. "The view is beautiful today… wouldn't you agree?"

"Yeah… the weather feels nice too…" Drake agreed with him before being interrupted.

"Attention, passengers! We have now arrived at Wawanakwa Island! Once the boat stops, carefully get off and stay on the beach until further instructions!" their boat driver announces to them.

"Let's do this!" Callie shouted before jumping off the boat and landing onto the sand

Ciara follows and joins her, "I gotta say, this island doesn't look too bad for me!"

As Drake was about to head off the boat, he saw Eliade staring off again and told him, "Hey, um… it's time to… get off the boat…"

Eliade regained focus more quickly than last time, "Right. Let us go!"

The two followed suit and joined the girls on the beach, Callie greeting them, "Hey, guys. You two ready for the game?"

"Yeah… I am…" Drake answered.

"Yes, and I hope we can all get along throughout the competition." Eliade said to her.

"Let's hope so," Ciara told him. "Otherwise, you're gonna be gone from the game if you think about getting on my bad side!"

"There is no need to worry, miss." Eliade assures her. "I don't like making myself an enemy to other people."

"Good!" Ciara tells him.

Drake wanted to say something to Eliade, "Hey, um… Eli…"

He was unable to finish because the boat driver appeared and interrupted him, standing in front of the four with hands behind her back. Based on what happened with the first group, it was safe to assume that she was holding a metal can behind her back.

"Alright, you four." she begins to speak. "While you wait for the remaining four groups to arrive, I've been instructed to give you all one of these…"

She shows them the metal can that contains four popsicle sticks before continuing, "When your name is called, come forward and I'll hand you a popsicle stick. You are not allowed to trade or swap with each other."

"Callie," she called for her as she stepped forward and was handed a popsicle stick with the bottom part being colored green.

"Thanks," Callie thanked her before looking at her stick. "Huh, looks like I got green on my stick."

"Ciara," she called for her as she stepped forward and was handed a popsicle stick with the bottom part being colored yellow.

"Let me see what color I got…" Ciara muttered as she looked at her stick. "I got yellow for mine."

"Drake," she called for him as he stepped forward and was handed a popsicle stick with the bottom part being colored red.

"Um… I think…" he checked his stick before finishing his sentence. "I got red for mine…"

"And Eliade," she called for him, and surprisingly he came forward without hesitation, handed a popsicle stick with the bottom part being colored blue.

"Thank you," Eliade thanked her before telling the others. "It appears that the bottom is blue."

"So you all have different colors," their driver informs them. "That means you're all on different teams for now. Please wait here for the others before splitting off."

She walked off and left the four on their own, keeping her group far separated from the first group. Meanwhile, the third boat group appeared to be very close to arriving.

* * *

"Hey, how close are you to the island?" a male voice came from the walkie-talkie that belonged to the sarcastic female driver. "Can you see the beach?"

"Gee, I'm miles away from the island…" she sarcastically replied.

"Alright, I'm glad to know that you're almost there!" he replied, sensing the sarcasm. "I trust that you'll do well!"

Without responding, she turned off the walkie-talkie and grabbed the intercom microphone.

"We'll be there in two minutes," she announces to the four contesants. "Yeah…"

"It's about fucking time…" Gabriela muttered. "I'm really about to lose my shit with that annoying dude…"

She was no longer inspecting the boat like earlier; she was attempting to relax and enjoy the weather before arriving at the island.

But the moment was short-lived because a voice interrupted her. It wasn't Leon's voice, but it was actually…

"Hi!" Helena greeted her.

"What do you want?" Gabriela raised her eyebrow.

"Oh! I didn't mean to bother you, but I wanted to see if you wanted to talk." Helena said with a bubbly smile.

"I would rather not," Gabriela bluntly replied.

"No worries then!" Helena stated. "I'm always happy to talk and converse whenever you feel like it!"

"Yeah, cool." Gabriela told her.

"Is it okay if I sit next to you?" Helena asked, gesturing to the seat next to Gabriela.

"Knock yourself out," Gabriela answered. "Just don't be an annoying shit like that Leon dude."

"Hey, don't call him that! He's not an annoying person!" Helena defended him in a kind manner.

"I really don't care," Gabriela remarked. "Now do me a favor and let me relax."

Helena frowned a little bit with sadness, but decided to leave her alone and head back to Gabriel and Leon, who were occupied with their own conversation.

"Hello there, Helena." Gabriel greeted her with a small smile.

"Did she try to con you during the conversation?" Leon asked before snickering at his pun.

Helena giggled before saying, "She didn't try to deceive me. It seems like she may be having a bad day or something else, but she's always welcome to come talk to me! I would love to become friends with her!"

Leon smiled at her, "That's good!"

Gabriel nodded in agreement, "I do respect your commitment in wanting to become friends with other people."

Helena smiled at them, "Thanks, you two! So what do you guys wanna talk about?"

"I got a joke for you two!" Leon exclaimed, both of them nodding their heads in approval. "So I remembered I had a dream that I was swimming in an ocean of orange soda…"

Leon paused for a bit for dramatic effect before saying the punchline, "But it was just a Fanta sea!"

This time, Helena broke out laughing with him while Gabriel chuckled. But their moment was short-lived.

"We're here at the island," their boat driver interrupted with her announcement. "Just stay on the beach and don't go anywhere."

"I'm really excited!" Helena shouted before smiling at the guys as a gesture to come along.

Leon and Gabriel got off with her and all three were now on the beach. They all saw that Gabriela was already on the beach.

"Oh! Hello, Gabriela!" Leon waved at her.

"Why am I not separated from him yet?" Gabriela groaned to herself.

"Do you wanna hear a joke?" Leon asked her.

"I would rather not deal with -" Gabriela was suddenly interrupted.

Their boat driver appeared in front of the four, holding a metal can with four popsicle sticks inside, similar to the first two drivers.

"Okay, I'm only going to say this once," she said to them. "When I call your name, come forward and I'll give you one of these. And don't trade with each other… you'll need it for later on."

She sighed quietly and called for the first name, "Gabriel."

He came forward and was given a popsicle stick with the bottom part being colored yellow, "Thank you, ma'am."

She rolled her eyes as he walked away, indicating that she could call for the second person, "Gabriela."

She came forward and grabbed the stick that was in the driver's hand and went back to the group, "Thank you."

"What a rude bitch…" the driver snarked quietly, no signs of sarcasm in her comment.

She regained her composure and called for the third name, "Helena."

"Hello again!" she greeted her as she came forward and was given a popsicle stick with the bottom part being colored blue. "Thank you very much!"

The driver didn't say anything as she walked back to the group, and she called for the final name, "And Leon."

"That's me!" he came forward and was given a popsicle stick with the bottom part being colored green. "So how can a popsicle stick -"

"Not in the mood for jokes," the driver deadpanned. "Don't even think about pushing it."

"There's always a next time!" Leon smiled at her and then walked back to the group.

"I noticed that my popsicle stick has yellow coloring on the bottom," Gabriel noted to Helena and Leon.

"I have blue for mine," Helena told him before looking at Leon. "How about you, Leon?"

"I have green!" Leon shouted before snickering. "But I don't feel like throwing up!"

"That wasn't even a joke," Gabriela told him as she took a look at her stick. "And if you're wondering what color's mine, it's red."

"If I am not mistaken, everyone here has a popsicle stick with a different color," Gabriel begins to speak. "And according to our boat driver, we'll need it later on. I have assumed a conclusion that we'll be divided into four teams or partake in a challenge that'll involve these."

"Whatever these things are for, I'll be ready." Gabriela said with confidence. "She better not be lying to us."

As the four remained there and isolated from the other two groups, the fourth boat appeared to be nearly arriving.

* * *

"I am about to reach the island very soon!" the positive boat driver said through his walkie-talkie. "I know it's gonna look absolutely beautiful!"

"I do recall that you have been there five times already," a male voice came from the walkie-talkie.

"That doesn't mean I'm not allowed to enjoy it like the first time!" he responded with excitement. "I hope they fixed the hot tub as well!"

He then grabbed the intercom microphone and announced, "Ladies and gentlemen! We are about to arrive at the beautiful Wawanakwa Island in about two minutes! Get ready for the best summer of your lives!"

"We're almost here!" May shouted with glee. "I'm really excited to be spending the summer on an island!"

"I agree!" Melissa said as she rolled her die that landed on six. "Aha! I can confirm that this island will be a good and safe place for me to rest up for my future battles!"

"I hope it's very relaxing as well!" May added. "I've read on the application that we'll be living in luxury!"

"Luxury!" Melissa agreed with her. "Those food choices will replenish my health very quickly, even on my worst days!"

May giggled at her mention of food, "I am excited for the five-star quality food! There's also a five-star hotel that we'll be staying at!"

"That's very awesome!" Melissa agreed with her before asking a question. "What else have you heard about the hotel?"

"Well, the application didn't say much about it after that." May answered her question. "It only said the hotel would be very clean and would have multiple heated pools."

As Melissa and May continued to chat about the possibilities at the island, Nikolai appeared to be observing Mason while he was taking a nap. But it wasn't for long before he started to stir and wake up from his nap, causing Nikolai to turn and observe the water.

As Mason stirred, he looked over at Nikolai before grinning, "I see you're contemplating your life choices, Mister Bates."

Knowing that Mason was referring to him, Nikolai looked at him before asking in a calm manner, "Can you repeat what you just said?"

Mason snickered before answering, "You're looking really hard at the water, like you're trying to see your reflection. The most conceited people would use water as an alternative to a mirror."

"That's a unique way of describing the conceited people," Nikolai replied to him.

"I mean… it does make sense for you to fit in with them," Mason chuckled. "Since you're not denying that you're conceited for trying to look for your own reflection in the water."

"Aren't there other reasons for looking at the water?" Nikolai asked.

"There are," Mason grinned before continuing. "But this reason best fits you!"

"I see." Nikolai said.

"Aha! You're not denying it!" Mason exclaimed. "Just like how you didn't deny being Norman Bates, -"

He was interrupted by the intercom and his driver, "Ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived at Wawanakwa Island! Before we can all explore the island, I want you all to head off the boat and remain on the beach for now!"

"Ready to go?" May asked Melissa with a smile.

"Dungeon Queen Melissa is ready!" Melissa shouted with excitement. "We will explore and enjoy the island! And if we have to, then we must exile the monsters away from the island!"

The two got off the boat, Mason following along. This left Nikolai by himself, and he took his time in getting off.

"I should have an idea about that guy…" Nikolai noted to himself, referring to Mason. "There's definitely more to him than what meets the eye…"

Nikolai joined the others and saw that Mason was talking to the girls. Rather than joining in the conversation, he decided to remain silent and look around at his surroundings.

"This doesn't look too bad," Nikolai said to himself quietly before frowning a little bit. "But I know it'll be the opposite once I learn more about the island…"

At the right timing, his boat driver appeared in front of the group with his hands behind his back, "Hello, contestants! You have just set foot on Wawanakwa Beach! It's absolutely beautiful, and definitely one of the cleanest beaches I've been to in Canada!"

"Now, while you're waiting on the beach, I have something to give you all!" the driver tells them with a smile. "I promise it's not a prank or anything bad!"

He shows them a metal can that contains four popsicle sticks, "I'll be giving you a popsicle stick! When I call your name, come up and I'll hand you one! There are no trades or swaps allowed!"

"So unless you have questions, I would like to first call up Mason!" the driver called for him as he came up and was handed a popsicle stick with the bottom part being colored blue.

"Why is there depression on my stick?" Mason asked.

The driver looked confused, "If you're asking about the color, then it's something for later on during the day!"

He called for the second name, "Next person is May!"

She came up and was handed a popsicle stick with the bottom part being colored green, "Thank you!"

He called for the third name, "Next person is Melissa!"

"Greetings, fellow friend!" Melissa greeted as she was given a popsicle stick with the bottom part being colored yellow. "Thank you for the item!"

"I have a green color on mine," May told her.

"It appears that mine has a yellow color!" Melissa told her.

He called for the final name, "And the final person is Nikolai!"

He came up and was handed a popsicle stick with the bottom part being colored red, "Thank you."

"So you all have a popsicle stick with a different color," the driver informs them. "I will be right back, so don't go away!"

* * *

"How far are you from the island?" a male voice came from the walkie-talkie that belonged to the driver of the fifth group. "All of the other four groups have arrived."

"I don't see an island," she began to panic. "Am I going the wrong way? Am I supposed to be close? Help me please!"

"Panicking will not help with the situation -" he attempted to calm her down, but to no avail.

"I can't calm down unless you give me an…" she stopped speaking because up ahead was an island that she was supposed to head towards.

"Did something happen?" he asked.

"You don't have to help me anymore," she answered. "I see the island so I'll just use my intercom microphone now."

"Attention, contestants! I would like to announce that we are almost at the island! That is all!" she announced through the intercom.

After making the announcement, it appeared that Therion and Thiago were both taking a nap. The voice was enough to stir them awake slowly, but surely.

Thiago yawned and stretched himself, "That was a good nap…"

He looked around and saw Therion starting to wake up. From there after, he saw Olivia sitting peacefully. It didn't take long before she noticed that the two guys were awake.

"Hey, guys!" Olivia greeted them with a smile. "You two woke up on time! We're almost ready to get off!"

"That's good," Thiago said with a small smile.

"Are you excited to see what the island looks like?" Olivia asked them.

"Yeah," Thiago answered. "I do hope the island can provide a beautiful scenery."

"Like nature?" Olivia asked curiously with Thiago nodding as an answer. "Oh! It's really cool that you like nature!"

"I believe nature is very beautiful," Thiago agreed before asking her a question. "What's your opinion about nature itself?"

"I like it," Olivia answered. "It's something I would enjoy looking at while on a walk or a hike."

"That is a very popular opinion," Thiago agreed with her.

Olivia turned and saw Therion having a blank look, "Hey, are you okay? I hope I didn't leave you out of the conversation."

He turned and looked at her with a small smile, "Yeah, I was looking at the water and admiring how beautiful it is."

"That's good!" Olivia said with a relieved smile. "I do hope we get to see this view more often during the competition."

"It would be cool," Therion agreed with her. "I hope the application isn't lying to us about the hotel and food."

"What did it say exactly?" Thiago asked curiously.

He yawned and told him, "The hotel and food would be five-star quality, and we would be living in luxury for the competition."

"That's very interesting," Thiago said with an optimistic look.

"It did say that on the application," Olivia confirmed. "That sounds really cool and fun!"

And at the right timing, the intercom came to life again and the driver had an announcement, "Attention, contestants! I would like to announce that we have officially arrived at Wawanakwa Island! Please be careful when exiting the boat, and stay on the beach for further instructions! That is all!"

"The moment has arrived," Thiago said to them before heading off the boat.

"Let's do this!" Olivia shouted, Therion nodding in agreement as he got off the boat.

But as she was about to get off, she noticed Rosa looking slightly uncomfortable as she started to get up, "Hey! How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine…" Rosa said, her nervousness apparent, but less so than earlier.

"That's good! Are you ready for the island?" Olivia asked.

"Yeah… I'm ready for the competition." Rosa answered.

"Awesome! Let me know if you wanna talk or need help!" Olivia said as she got off the boat.

Rosa took a deep breath and looked over the edge, "Let's hope the boat doesn't move backwards…"

She slowly climbed down and jumped onto the sand, letting out a sigh of relief, "That went well…"

As she caught up with the other members, who were conversing with each other, it appeared to be at the right time because their boat driver came in front of them. Her hands appear to be behind her back, a bright smile on her face.

"Hello, contestants! I hope you enjoyed that boat ride!" she greeted them. "And now that you're all on Wawanakwa Island, allow me to start off your adventure by giving you these!"

She shows them a metal can that contains four popsicle sticks, "Popsicle sticks! All of you will be assigned one popsicle stick, and you'll need to hold on to them for later on during the day! Also, you're not allowed to switch popsicle sticks with each other!"

Rather than calling them up one at a time, she called for all of them to come forward. They were each given their own popsicle stick by her without any conflict or chaos breaking out.

"Alright, contestants! You each now have a popsicle stick, so go ahead and continue with your conversations!" she said to them. "Does anyone have any questions before I head off?"

"Part of my stick is colored blue," Olivia told her. "Is that supposed to be important?"

"Yes, each of the sticks has a different color." the driver revealed to them. "However, what role it serves will remain a secret for the moment. Now, does anybody still have questions?"

Seeing the group shaking their heads or remaining silent, she continued to speak, "Alright then! Now I want you all to remain on the beach until all of the groups have arrived! I will now be heading off, so don't break the rules!"

She headed off and left the group by themselves, each of them looking at their stick.

"So what color do you have?" Olivia asked the other three.

"I have yellow," Therion answered, showing his stick.

"Green for me," Thiago answered. "And I must say, there is absolute aesthetic beauty on this popsicle stick."

"It's red for mine…" Rosa answered.

While the fifth group took time to figure out and discuss the popsicle sticks, the final boat group was on its way to the island.

* * *

"Has everyone made it to the island?" the boat driver asked through his walkie-talkie. "My naked eye can now see the island up ahead."

"Yeah, we're still waiting for you." a female voice came from the walkie-talkie. "You're not under pressure or anything, but don't take forever."

"With my observation and the constant speed the motorboat is maintaining," he replied to her. "It won't be long before I arrive at the beach and not risk damaging any parts."

"Alright, good luck." she responded to him.

He grabbed the intercom microphone and spoke into it, "Attention, passengers! We are arriving in about two minutes! I repeat, we are arriving in two minutes!"

Xanthia had already woken up from her nap and was sitting on the edge like Tom was doing. Him and Velvet, who was still relaxing and enjoying the heat, made small talk here and there, but nothing more. And Theresa was gazing down at the water with a sad expression.

Tom looked at Velvet and decided to start a conversation, "Hey, how do you feel about the competition?"

Velvet looked at him and responded, "I'm pretty excited for it. If the application is true, then I'll definitely have fun for the summer."

Tom nodded in agreement like he understood him, "I know which part you're talking about. It's the promise of a five-star quality food and hotel."

Velvet smiled, "That's right, dude. Living in luxury is -"

He was unable to finish because a loud splash had distracted him. Both guys started looking around and saw that nothing had happened to Theresa. However, the same couldn't be said for…

"Wasn't there another girl with us just now?" Tom asked, looking over to Velvet for confirmation.

"Dude, I think she may have fallen in the water!" Velvet said out of shock, running to the edge and looking over it.

Indeed, he was correct because the guys saw a body swimming around in the water. The body belonged to Xanthia.

"Are you okay?!" Velvet asked out of concern, ready to jump in and help her.

"I'm all good," Xanthia shouted from below. "Don't worry about rescuing me! I'll see you at the beach!"

Velvet was prepared to say something, but Tom interrupted him, "She'll be fine, bro. It appears that she can swim well enough, and the distance from here to the shore is less than the distance from swimming three laps in an Olympic-size swimming pool."

"I'll keep an eye out for her in case something happens," Velvet tells him his plan.

"As I said, she'll be fine." Tom reminded him.

"And what if she's not?" Velvet asked him, a small frown on his face.

Tom leaned back against the handrail, "We alert the boat driver and throw a life tube over. Every authorized water vehicle should have one."

Speaking of the boat driver, the intercom came to life and out came his voice, "Attention, passengers! We have arrived at Wawanakwa Island! I repeat, we have arrived at Wawanakwa Island! Until further instructions are given, you are to stay on the beach for the time being!"

Theresa got up from her seat and sighed, "This is gonna be a horrible summer for me…"

She got off the boat quietly, leaving the two guys by themselves. Velvet was still keeping an eye out on Xanthia, who appeared to be not too far behind. And Tom was waiting for him to be finished with his lookout job.

"We have to go," Tom said to Velvet. "I don't think we can stay on here forever."

"I'm not letting someone drown today," Velvet told him with a stern look.

After another near-minute of waiting and looking out, Xanthia had finally arrived at the beach.

Velvet looked relieved, "Alright, let's go check up on her, dude."

The two got off the boat and ran up to Xanthia, seeing if she was alright. Surprisingly, she didn't appear to be tired that much, despite having swam a long distance.

"Are you alright?" Velvet asked. "Do you need something to dry off with?"

"I'm okay," Xanthia assures him. "I wanted to jump off a boat and swim the rest of the way."

"Is there a reason?" Tom asked out of curiosity.

Xanthia shrugged, "It seemed pretty fun and cool to do."

"Ahem!" a familiar voice caught their attention as all three turned and saw their boat driver walking towards them. "I need to explain something to you three."

"Are we in trouble?" Tom asked with a nervous look.

He took a look at Xanthia and looked back at Tom, "Unless if she's sick, then she'll be able to dry off without any problems."

"Anyways," he began to explain. "In order for me to explain thoroughly, I need you all to regroup with Theresa."

They followed him and got reunited with Theresa, who was looking down at the sand.

"Now that everyone has gathered together, allow me to explain," he pulls four popsicle sticks out of his pants and begins to hand one to each person. "What I'm giving each of you right now is a popsicle stick that'll each have a different color."

They took a look at their popsicle sticks, attempting to find out if their boat driver was lying to them or not.

"Mine is red," Velvet said to the group.

Theresa showed her stick to the group and it appeared to be colored yellow on the bottom part.

"I got green," Xanthia said before biting on the popsicle stick.

"And I have blue," Tom confirmed the driver's statement to be true.

The driver nodded and said, "So the purpose of these different colors will be revealed later on in the day. I wouldn't suggest trading or switching with each other."

"Now I want you to stay here until further instructions are given," the driver begins to walk away.

Everyone had arrived.

* * *

Chris McLean had walked out of his trailer in the same attire, but with a cleaner face than earlier. He had a bright smile on his face, and he was ready to continue hosting!

He took a whiff of the fresh air and sighed calmly, "Ahh! What a nap! All shade, and no interruptions!"

He looked around and thought to himself, "Huh, I wonder if they need me yet. I told Trish and some of the staff members that I would be in my trailer."

And as if right on cue, one of the staff members ran up to him, sweat coming down his face and breathing heavily, "Mr. McLean! I… need to inform you…"

"Easy there, dude." Chris told him. "Catch your breath before you continue."

After almost a minute for him to catch his breath, he continued to speak, "I need to inform you that all of the contestants have arrived! They're all waiting down at the beach in their boat groups! Miss James has gotten all of the groups to meet at a certain spot!"

"And I'm supposed to head there right now?" Chris asked, wanting confirmation on his instructions.

The staff member nodded, "Yes! You're not late or anything, but they can't wait there forever!"

Chris nodded, "Alright, just show me the way."

He followed the staff member while adjusting his attire, making sure he would appear clean and handsome for the contestants, not to mention the camera.

"Also, you just have to explain the rules of the game and give them an orientation of the camp," he reminded him while walking. "All of the cameras are already set up."

"Good to know," Chris replied, remembering that Trish told him the same thing earlier.

About a minute later, they had arrived at a long stairway that would take them down to the beach. Chris peered from the distance to find the contestants, and they were all gathered together at one part of the beach — the spot where group six stood when given their popsicle sticks.

"I see them," Chris said to him. "But none of them see me."

"Whenever you're ready, Mr. McLean." the staff member walked away. "Good luck, sir!"

Chris took a deep breath and walked down the stairs, still haven't been noticed by any of the contestants yet. As he got closer to the bottom, the sounds of chatter started to get louder. There were contestants chatting with other people from different groups, and it seemed like a whole party was going on.

But the chatter started to die down, as one by one, the contestants saw Chris walk to the left. Some of them gasped in shock or excitement, while others simply kept quiet with varying expressions. By the time he stopped, he appeared to be in the center and in front of the contestants.

A bright smile was on his face as he began to speak his first words to the contestants, "Thank you all for quieting down. Now before we begin, I want you to look around and make sure all of the people from your group are there."

He used this opportunity to do a quick head count of the contestants, making sure that there were twenty-four in total. To his relief, all of them were there and in one piece.

"Can you confirm that all of your boat buddies are here?" Chris asked the contestants, the majority of them nodding their heads or saying "yes" as an answer.

"Awesome!" Chris exclaimed. "Now with that part out of the way, I would like to welcome you all to Total Drama!"

He made sure to emphasize the last two words as most of the contestants showed their appreciation and excitement by cheering, clapping, and/or smiling. The rest of them had a neutral or negative expression.

After the cheering and clapping died down, Chris continued to speak, "For the next several weeks, you'll be competing against each other in very tough challenges that will test your physical, mental, and social aspects! For the first half of the competition, you'll need to be able to work with other people if you wanna avoid being voted out! Because once you're eliminated from the game, that's it! No second chances, whatsoever!"

He took a quiet breath before continuing, "That's only the basic gist of how the elimination game goes! There'll be some interesting twists for me to inform you about later down the road!"

"So before I give you all the grand tour," Chris grabs what appears to be a camera from his pocket. "We'll need a group photo for the promos, so stand behind someone that's shorter than you!"

As they all found their spots for the group photo, the back row consisted of the tallest people from the cast. Drake appeared to have a small smile on his face while Olivia had one of her arms pumped up in the air. Eliade appeared to be gazing off at something else instead of the camera. Gabriel had his hands behind his back and posed in a professional manner. Xanthia was still biting into her popsicle stick and Thiago had a hand on his chin, a curious expression showing. And to round off the top row, Leon had a wide grin on his face and looked ready to burst out laughing while Nikolai kept a neutral expression with his arms crossed.

The middle row consisted of the contestants that were around average height. May held up a peace sign with both hands while Alex slightly stuck his tongue out in a goofy manner. Therion had his hands in his pocket while sporting a small smile. Velvet simply gave a thumbs up while Abigail and Helena both posed with smiles and one hand on their hips. And to round off the middle row, Tom posed in a professional manner and had his thumbs sticking out from his pants pockets while Gabriela had a serious expression, her arms crossed like Nikolai's.

The front row consisted of the shortest contestants from the cast. Callie was crouching down and pointing at the camera with a grin while Melissa was sitting down and showing off her die to the camera. Charles was also crouching down, a small smile on his face. Ciara was kneeling on one knee, a determined expression on her face and her arms crossed. Rosa had her legs slightly bent while having a cold stare. Theresa was sitting down and frowning, looking away from the camera and down at the sand. And to round off the front row, Mason had his grin while sitting down and spreading out his legs while Albienne was in a curtsy, her parasol now closed.

With everyone adjusting themselves and standing still, Chris took a couple of steps forward for a better quality picture. He checked the camera to make sure it wasn't damaged; the camera was fine and working.

"Alright, everyone! On the count of three!" Chris said to them before counting. "One…! Two…! Three! Everyone say… Wawanakwa!"

"Wawanakwa!" most of the contestants shouted as the camera went off, finishing the group photo.

Chris checked to see if the photo came out well, and to his relief, it was clear in high quality. It was now time to move on to the grand tour.

"Settle around, everyone! It's now time for the grand tour of your new home for the competition! Follow me!" Chris announced to everyone, many of them showing their excitement for the five-star hotel.

However, there was only one problem…

* * *

There was no luxurious hotel in sight.

Upon first seeing the summer camp after going up the stairway, many of the contestants appeared to be confused, shocked, or upset. And then there were those that didn't care about the lack of a luxurious hotel.

As chatter and confusion grew among the contestants, Chris attempted to calm them down, "Settle down, everyone! Now I know it's very obvious that you don't see a hotel, even though the application said there would be one. To give you a simple answer… you were all tricked."

Many of the contestants weren't happy, letting their disapproval and disappointment show through their voices. Some of them were asking questions without raising their hands, while some kept quiet and didn't say anything, letting their expressions do the work for them. Thankfully, none of them were about to get physically violent against Chris or each other.

Once again, Chris attempted to calm them down by raising his voice so everyone could hear him, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold your horses, everyone! Just because there isn't a hotel doesn't mean you can't live in luxury for the competition!"

Many of them started to quiet down, but were still giving him glares or disapproving looks as he continued, "You'll all have a chance to win rewards that will make your stay more worthwhile and comfortable. How so? The tough challenges you'll compete in will be more than to avoid elimination; winning them constantly will make you feel like you're living at a five-star hotel."

Before anyone could ask a question or raise their hand, Chris beat them to the punch, "So even if you're not convinced about the rewards, I can assure you all that Camp Wawanakwa isn't all that bad! Now let's get the tour started so you'll have time to unpack and eat lunch later on."

Not having too much of an alternative choice, the contestants began to follow Chris and start the tour. Many of them were now skeptical about the camp as they looked around, hoping that Chris wasn't lying to them.

About a couple of minutes later, Chris had brought the contestants to the first building and began to explain, "This is the washroom, also known as the bathroom. It has a few stalls for the toilets, a few sinks to wash your hands and face, and a few stalls for showering. There is hot water for the showers, but only a limited amount, so I wouldn't waste it if I were you."

He took a quick breath before continuing, "Keep in mind that this is a communal washroom, so you'll all have to use the same building. If that's an issue for you, then you'll have to deal with it, not shower, or find an alternative way to clean yourselves."

After his explanation of the building was done, he led the contestants to the next building… or rather, an outhouse. It appeared to be rundown and dirty, like someone didn't bother to clean it for several years.

"The next thing I wanna show you all is the outhouse confessional," Chris began to explain. "It used to be another place for taking care of your business, but it was changed to something more suitable for the competition."

He opened the door and the interior appeared to be cleaner than the exterior, but not by much. It had wooden walls and designs all over, an open window to breath inside, and some graffiti art on the walls. But the most noticeable thing inside was the camera; it was small and rather more advanced than other cameras, but it was still noticeable.

"As some of you can see," Chris continued to explain. "There is a camera that's installed in here that runs 24/7. It's there to record your confessionals if you wanna get something off your chest. You can go in there anytime to let the viewers know more about you."

After he was done, he next took the contestants to a large, open tent. Upon looking from outside, there appeared to be four cot beds and a variety of different medical supplies and equipment. A couple workers were currently cleaning some of the equipment, and upon being seen by Chris and the contestants, they waved at them with a smile.

"This is the infirmary," Chris explained the next area. "In case if you ever suffer an injury or get sick, this is where you'll get diagnosed and treated by our medical staff. If you also need any medication, feel free to come by and they'll provide you."

His smile turns into a serious expression, "Even though they're able to help you out with many types of diseases and injuries, if you're deemed to have sustained a serious disease or a severe injury, then you'll be taken to a local hospital. At that point, you'll be removed from the competition and professional doctors will be taking care of you from there."

The serious expression is reverted back to a smile, "But I'm sure none of that will happen to any of you. Now then, let's move on to the next location! We're about halfway done with the tour!"

Chris then led the contestants to a normal, wooden building that appeared to be as big as the washroom. There was a white sign on top of the entrance that said, "Tuck Shop".

"As the sign says, this is the tuck shop!" Chris informs them while standing in front of the door. "This is where you'll receive many of the rewards if you do well in the challenges. It's one of those stores that practically has everything you need to live comfortably for the competition."

He beat them to the punch again before they could ask, "And no, just because the items are free doesn't mean you can steal them. There are plenty of security cameras in there, so if you get caught…"

Chris lets out a small laugh, "You may end up receiving a disadvantage for yourself or for your team. And for the serious and more severe cases, an automatic disqualification from the game!"

Some of the contestants gasped at the severity of the punishment, but it was very understandable because it would be unfair for those who worked hard to win the challenges.

He still had his beaming smile, "Now then, let's move on to the next location! This one is gonna be a bit farther than the other areas we've been to already."

He led the contestants away from the campsite and reached a small building that was by the shore. It appeared to be a little bit larger than the outhouse, and there was a secondary dock built around it.

"This is the boathouse," Chris said to them. "It's where we store the canoes, life jackets, and all of that sorts whenever they're not being used. You're welcome to use it during your free time, but it is first come, first serve, so if there aren't any more canoes in there, you might wanna ask someone to join them."

He began to walk back towards the campsite, "Now let's head on back! There's three more areas I will be showing you all!"

Chris led the contestants to the next building, the largest one they've seen so far during the tour. The exterior appeared to be cleaner than all of the other locations they've been to during the tour. There was a small stairway that would cause an unnecessary amount of people to trip over because they weren't paying attention. The only thing that was questionably dirty was the two windows that were next to the door, one on each side.

"This is the main lodge," Chris informs them. "It's the largest building on the whole island, and it's the place where you'll be served food for the duration of the competition. There's someone you'll be meeting that's more of an expert on this building than me! He'll be the main person serving you, so try not to get on his bad side!"

He lets out a small laugh again before continuing, "Anyways, onto the next location!"

The next area he took them to was the cabins; in fact, there were four of them in total, all of them appearing to be identical to one another. Two of them were in the front and the other two were located behind them. It wasn't in the best quality, but it was mediocre and manageable enough for the contestants. Like the main lodge, there was a small stairway for each cabin that would cause a bunch of people to trip over. There were two doors for each cabin, a window next to each one.

"Until you're eliminated from the competition, these cabins will be your new sleeping area." Chris tells them. "It's manageable and decent enough for you to stay in. Unlike the washroom, you'll be responsible for taking care of the cabins, so it won't be our fault if it becomes really dirty or starts smelling."

"Now you might be wondering why there are four of them," Chris now had a grin on his face. "The answer will be revealed at the last location!"

He took the contestants for a short walk before reaching a clearing that has a large campfire pit that was currently put out, a standing wooden sign in the background, a couple of medium-sized trees, and twenty-four tree stump seats for each of the contestants to sit on. He gestured for all of them to take a seat, in which most of them sat down but some still kept standing.

Chris stood behind a metal barrel before explaining more about the current area, "This is where the elimination ceremony will take place after each challenge. It's known as the campfire ceremony, and in case if you're not familiar with how the voting works, each member of the losing team will go into the confessional outhouse and place one vote for whichever person they want to eliminate."

"The one who has the most votes will be eliminated," Chris crosses his arms. "So there won't be a challenge today since you all just got here. But most of the time, we'll be running on a two day cycle: the first day is your downtime while the next day is when the challenge and elimination will take place."

"Even though you're starting off in teams," Chris continued, "Once we reach the halfway point, the teams will be merged and it'll be every contestant for themselves."

"And since you're living at a summer camp," he chuckled and continued before anyone interrupted. "You're now officially campers! And by the end of the summer, the competition will have one winner! And that person will win the grand prize of…"

"ONE… MILLION… DOLLARS!" Chris shouted at the top of his lungs for emphasis as many of the contestants cheered or clapped at the prize money.

He waited for the contestants to quiet down before picking up what appears to be a clipboard from the metal barrel with a smirk, "Now, you may be wondering about the popsicle sticks and what purpose it serves in this game. Each one of you received a popsicle stick that has one of the following four colors: blue, red, green, or yellow."

"Those four colors," he paused a little bit for dramatic effects. "Will represent the team you'll be competing on for the time being! There'll be four teams of six for this season, each having three guys and three girls!"

"So, for those who have a blue popsicle stick, stand up and head on over to that spot over there!" six people stood up and walked towards the particular spot that he pointed at. "And if you need a reminder, the team will consist of: Abigail, Eliade, Helena, Mason, Olivia, and Tom!"

A staff member came up to them and handed Abigail a blue rolled-up banner. She unrolled it and revealed a picture design of a blue bird doing a matrix-like backflip over a few blue bullets.

"From this point on, you'll be known as the Badass Birds!" Chris announced to everyone.

"This is such an awesome name!" Olivia shouted. "Whoo! Go Birds!"

"It is a cool name, but I doubt birds have the body structure to do a backflip in real life," Tom said to his team.

"Now, if you have a red popsicle stick, stand up and head on over to that spot over there!" six more people stood up and walked towards the spot that he pointed at. "Just to make sure the teams are correct, it will consist of: Albienne, Drake, Gabriela, Nikolai, Rosa, and Velvet!"

Another staff member came up to them and handed Velvet a red rolled-up banner. He unrolled it and revealed a picture design of a red fox growling with its teeth showing while being surrounded by a hot red flame.

"From this point on, you'll be known as the Ferocious Foxes!" Chris announced to everyone.

"This sure is an awesome name for an awesome team!" Albienne said to her team.

"I do agree," Velvet agreed with her. "This design looks really cool."

"For those who have a green popsicle stick, stand up and head on over to that spot over there!" six more people stood up and walked towards the particular spot. "And this team will consist of: Alex, Callie, Leon, May, Thiago, and Xanthia!"

A third staff member came up to them and handed Thiago a green rolled-up banner. He unrolled it and revealed a picture design of a green snake hissing with green venom dripping from its teeth.

"From this point on, you'll be known as the Sinister Snakes!" Chris announced to everyone.

"I hope our team never throws a hissy!" Leon snickered at his own joke.

"Alright, this team rocks!" Callie shouted with a grin. "I know we're gonna kick some butt!"

"And that leaves the six of you with yellow popsicle sticks, so stand up and head on over to that spot over there!" The remaining six people stood up and walked towards the spot. "If I'm not mistaken, this team will consist of: Charles, Ciara, Gabriel, Melissa, Therion, and Theresa!"

A fourth staff member came up to them and handed Ciara a yellow rolled-up banner. She unrolled it and revealed a picture design of a yellow wasp flying with its stinger sticking out and yellow blood dripping from it.

"From this point on, you'll be known as the Wild Wasps!" Chris announced to everyone.

"Aw, yeah! I'm confident that we ain't ever losing a challenge!" Ciara exclaimed.

Gabriel nodded in agreement, "As long as we maintain a hard working mindset and cooperate with one another, we'll be able to achieve success."

Chris took a look at the four teams, having a proud smile on his face, "Alright, campers! Now that you're all split into your teams, you can go ahead and unpack your bags at the cabins! Get to know each other better before I call you all back for lunch! I'll see you campers later!"

* * *

**Confessional**

Chris - This is where you'll be able to share your thoughts about anything, anytime you want! Feel free to let the audience know what you're thinking about!

Abigail - Hello, viewers. My name is Abigail and I hope I'll be able to do well in this competition. So far, everyone here seems to be very kind and friendly. It may change once the game gets going, but I'll be prepared to eliminate the bad people from the competition.

Albienne - Howdy, y'all! I'm just so eager and excited to compete in this competition! I may be a lil' ole plant out in this great big world, but I'm sure I'll win it for my family! Bless them!

Alex - This day has been interesting so far. I would've preferred living in a hotel for the summer, but I'm still cool with living at a summer camp. All of the people I've met so far seem to be very friendly and cool. There'll be some bad apples, but all I'm gonna do is ignore them and get them voted out.

Charles - So I guess everything is going good so far… My team seems cool. Uh, I hope I can do well. And uh, the camp looks cool too. I… I guess that's it.

Callie - My name is Callie, and I consider - no, I am the best gamer in the world! I'm gonna show everyone that this game will be no match for me! I know my skills are gonna be useful for the team!

Ciara - Look, I'm willing to work with a team and cooperate, but at the end of the day, I'm only focused on me! This is a game for a million bucks, and I know I ain't gonna be stupid to let that chance slip away! Mark my words, you're looking at the winner of Total Drama!

Drake - So… um… I'm now on a team with people I've never met… I was hoping to… be on the same team as Eli… but um… I guess not… I'll still give it my all…

Eliade - The camera of life… the camera of life… the camera of life…

Gabriel - Greetings, viewers of Total Drama. My name is Gabriel Peterson, and it is a pleasure to be competing in a compelling competition like this one. I'll do my absolute best to play a fair and honorable game. I thank you all for your time.

Gabriela - I'm not here to sit around and play nice with every single damn person in this game. This is for a million dollars, and there's only gonna be one winner. This is an opportunity I'm gonna take advantage of, and believe me, if there's an opportunity, I'll fucking take it.

Helena - Hi, everyone! I'm super duper excited to be competing on this island! To all of the viewers who are interested in supporting me, I hope I'll make you all proud! This is gonna be a summer that I'll never forget!

Leon - So what do you call a bee that can't make up its mind?... A maybe! Ahahahaha! Get it? It's may, and be, but with only one "e"! Ooh! I have another one! Why did the -

Mason - It was really fun while it lasted with those people on the boat! And now that I'm on a team with people I haven't talked to, I'm gonna have a lot of fun with them as well! I just need to find the right buttons to push!

May - Hey there! I um… wanted to let you viewers know that I'm… ah em… doing good! Ah… and I'll do my best…! Um… that's all from me! Bye!

Melissa - It is I, Melissa the Dungeon Queen! I am on an adventure to protect the heroes from the evil monsters! It won't be an easy journey, and there'll be many difficult quests and challenges along the way, but I am positive everything will end well!

Nikolai - Hello. My name is Nikolai. So far the show is attempting to make the competition much more challenging by throwing in a twist of making us stay at a summer camp instead of a hotel. I am certain it won't be the last surprise in store, but I am up for a good challenge. But it could be a challenge that I'll fail ultimately…

Olivia - What's up, everyone! I'm Olivia, and I came here to prove myself to my friends and family that I can accomplish a lot of things in this competition! Winning is one of them, but there's a lot more goals to achieve for this summer! Wish me luck!

Rosa - Hey… I'm Rosa. I do hope I'll impress my team with my skills. The money and the competition are things that are gonna motivate me to do my best. There's plenty of goals for me to accomplish, so yeah.

Therion - It's a pleasure to meet you viewers. My name is Therion, and I came into this competition because I wanted to accomplish a few goals. I normally wouldn't do something like this, so it'll be interesting to see how this experience turns out.

Thiago - Viewers, my name is Thiago. I take pleasure and honor in being one of the chosen contestants for this show. I'm sure the competition won't be easy, but there's always something pleasing at the end of each difficult challenge. Rewards are beautiful, whether it's a physical object or a verbal praise.

Theresa - I'm gonna keep this short… I knew signing up for this competition was a bad idea. It's hopeless for me to think that I have a chance of winning… mark my words, I'll be the first one eliminated.

Tom - This island seems cool so far, and I believe this summer camp has a unique atmosphere that I'm trying to find the words to describe. I will do my best to win the competition with the skills I've been taught. Thank you for listening.

Velvet - 'Sup. The name's Velvet. I'm pretty excited to be part of this show, even if the living conditions aren't gonna be the best. It'll be cool to get to meet new people and become friends with them, especially the ones on my team. Overall, I'm definitely here for a good time and for a fun summer experience.

Xanthia - I guess it's cool that I got accepted to this show. Now, do I care if I end up getting eliminated? Nah. Do I also care if I win as well? It would be nice, but all of that money would be used up and be gone eventually. Win or lose, I'm here for the fun and thrills.

* * *

**The chapter is now finished after a little over 11,000 words! All of the contestants have arrived, and the teams have been formed! They're all now aware that they're staying at a summer camp, so stick around for the next chapter to see how they adapt to it! This chapter was a little easier than the last one, given that I've gotten an establishment for each of the characters now.**

**Once again, allow me to remind you that I'm not playing bias towards anybody. Every personality is different, and the amount of dialogue they have is a reflection of their personality. I hope you keep this in mind when reviewing.**

**Now moving on to the question! Allow me to ask two questions for you to answer in your review for this chapter! They're entirely optional, and the length of the answers doesn't matter.**

**Question 01: Which of the four teams would you want to be on? Assume that your submitted character(s) aren't in the competition.**

**Question 02: How did I do with your character(s)? Give me honest feedback so I can improve and fix them.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and feel free to leave any positive feedback and criticism in your review or in private. If you have any questions or concerns, ask me privately. Until then, take care!**


	5. Episode 01, Part 03 - Camp

**Welcome back, fellow reader! I'm very glad you're able to join me for the final part of the first episode! I hope the wait wasn't too long because even during tough times and being stuck at home, there's still plenty of schoolwork for me to complete! But at least my semester will end earlier than usual this time since it applies to online session schedule.**

**Now before I begin this chapter, there's something important I want to discuss with you, specifically if your character(s) is in this story. I want to let you know that if I'm bothering you by constantly reminding about a new chapter in your PM, then please let me know so I won't do it anymore. I'm aware you may be following the story, but I wanted to prove that I'm not abandoning the story.**

**Also, my main goal in writing this story is to entertain you by writing your character(s) correctly while being very detailed. I'm letting you know that I'm not a review-seeker or desperate for it, but reviews are the best way to let me know how I'm doing with your character(s) and the story itself. I understand that you're busy and may not have time to review right away, but try to communicate with me so I don't assume the worst.**

**Now then, everything has been said so let's get right into the chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

All of the contestants had been divided into their respective teams and were now finished with the orientation for Camp Wawanakwa. It was only a matter of time before they were called for lunch, so all of them had free time to unpack their bags and socialize with their teammates. The cabins for the Badass Birds and Ferocious Foxes were in the front while the Sinister Snakes and Wild Wasps had the cabins in the back.

**Badass Birds (Guy's Side) - Eliade, Mason, and Tom**

The three guys entered their cabins with curious glances all around. Each of them had a different amount of luggage as they noticed something important. There were four bunk beds in total, so one person didn't have to share. But it was a relief that all of them would have a bed to sleep on.

"Who wants to sleep in a bunk bed without sharing?" Tom asked as he and Mason raised their hands. "Do you want a bunk bed to yourself? I'm willing to give it to you if you're insistent."

"Of course!" Mason answered with a grin. "I already knew you were willing to give it anyways!"

"Why do you say that?" Tom asked, an eyebrow raised. He and Mason set their luggage by their respective bunk beds.

"You were bullied a lot, weren't you?!" Mason asked with the same grin on his face.

"What makes you say that?" Tom asked, his other eyebrow raised.

"I can see it very clearly," Mason answered before snickering. "You'll find the answer if you look in a mirror. Instead of seeing a handsome model, it's a stick figure you'll see! You were bullied for being a stick figure!"

"Don't call me a stick figure!" Tom yelled at him and displayed an annoyed expression, causing Mason to bust out laughing.

"You should see the look on your face!" Mason's laugh got louder and it annoyed Tom even further.

After Mason eventually calmed down after getting his laugh in, he turned and saw Eliade standing there. He was gazing at the wall and Mason had confusion on his face.

"You're welcome to negotiate a deal with the stick figure," Mason said to him. "You'll get whatever you want if you're insistent! But if you wanna bring shame to yourself, then go ahead and let him win!"

"Can you stop being a dick?" Tom asked assertively, having calmed down a little bit before approaching Eliade with a small smile. "I apologize for the commotion between me and him."

"The wall is from working together..." Eliade suddenly said softly, both Tom and Mason having confused expressions.

"You are correct about that," Tom added to the conversation. "It would be difficult to create a good wall without teamwork. Have you ever read a book called 'Teamwork Makes the Dream work'?"

"I have heard about it," Eliade's mind was back into reality. "It must be a great book about the importance of teamwork."

"Everyone wants to be successful by themselves or with other people," Eliade continued with a small smile. "Good teamwork will lead to success and happiness… like this wall in front of me."

"Can you say that the wall represents human society?" Tom asked, now intrigued and curious.

"I believe so," Eliade answered. "Like the wall, society will be bound to fall if it is damaged. But it can also persevere if there is a team effort to keep it strong… upgrades and repairs, for example."

"That's very interesting," Tom appeared to have found a new person to chat with for the competition.

Mason was watching and listening in the background with a grin on his face. He didn't have a serious expression or an angry look; it was only the same grin he sported the whole day.

* * *

**Confessional**

Mason - (is sporting the same grin) It seems that the stick figure has formed a bond with someone! This is very surprising and interesting for me! Not only will I have an opportunity to push both of their buttons as a duo, but it'll be all the worthwhile to see a bond break into pieces! (the grin turns into a smirk)

Tom - (a small smile is on his face) It's cool that I found someone to bond with during the competition. I remember his name started with an "e", but I'll have to double check. He is a lot smarter than what he appears to be, and I am grateful as well because I don't wanna deal with Mason. (he frowns a little bit) He may not be the worst person I've encountered, but he's someone I wanna eliminate soon.

* * *

**Badass Birds (Girl's Side) - Abigail, Helena, and Olivia**

The girls stopped everything they were doing after entering the cabins. They looked around with curiosity and a bit of excitement, then noticed that there were four beds in total. It looked similar to the ones on the guy's side.

"So what do you think?" Abigail asked.

"This doesn't look too bad," Olivia responded with a small smile. "It's not the best place I've ever stayed at, but I can agree it is not the worst either. But I shouldn't be complaining too much, especially since we're competing for a million dollars on live television."

"I'm super excited to be in an elimination style competition!" Helena agreed with her while taking a look at the bunk beds. "So does anybody have a preference to bunk alone or with someone?"

Olivia shrugged, "I don't mind bunking with someone. Is it cool if I take the bottom bed though?"

"Of course!" Helena said as Olivia put her luggage by a bottom bunk bed.

She looked at Abigail and asked her the same question. "How about you, Abigail? Would you like to bunk with Olivia or on your own?"

"Do you have a preference?" Abigail asked to make sure.

"Nope! You're welcome to choose whatever makes you feel comfortable!" Helena answered, the smile never faltering.

"Then I'll sleep by myself," Abigail made a decision. "Is that okay with you?"

"Of course!" Helena replied before looking at Olivia. "It's gonna be fun being your bunk mate for the summer!"

"Thanks!" Olivia responded as Helena began to unpack on her bed.

Abigail nodded in agreement, "You're a really sweet person. Thank you very much, Helena."

"No problem! I'm very happy that I'll get to spend time with two beautiful and friendly girls!" Helena said as she settled down on her bed.

"I'm glad I'll get to socialize with a beautiful model," Olivia said, causing Helena to glance at her with a curious and excited look.

"Do you recognize me from anywhere?" Helena asked.

"Me and my friends have seen you on television and magazines," Olivia confirmed, having an excited look. "You're Helena Browning! You're one of the most popular models in the American industry! You look just as beautiful in real life!"

"I do agree," Abigail added. "You have always been able to look stylish and gorgeous in any outfit you've shown for the public."

"Oh! Thank you very much for the compliments, girls!" Helena giggled. "I really appreciate it!"

* * *

**Confessional**

Abigail - I'm glad that the girls on my team are really friendly. (a small smile appears) I do hope that it'll be the same way for the guys. It's a bonus that I'm on the same team with a famous model from America. (a curious expression appears on her face) I wonder if they're able to recognize me…

Olivia - (she appears to be very excited) It's really awesome that I finally got to meet Helena Browning in person! And she's also a really sweet person! I really hope I'll be able to grow closer with her and become good friends! I'm sure she would be interested in my cheerleading skills! (a curious expression forms on her face) Abigail also seems to be nice as well. In fact, I think I recognize her from somewhere…

* * *

**Ferocious Foxes (Guy's Side) - Drake, Nikolai, and Velvet**

The three men glanced around at their surroundings, curious expressions on their faces. The interior was similar to the cabin's exterior, as almost everything appeared to be the same from the Badass Birds' cabin. No surprise, there were two bunk beds in total.

Velvet looked at Drake and Nikolai before asking, "So does anybody have preferences on the sleeping arrangements?"

Drake shook his head, "I don't…"

"I do not have a preference either," Nikolai commented.

"Alright," Velvet said before thinking for a little bit, trying to come up with a good solution. "I also don't have a preference, but I'm willing to bunk with someone as long as they're not going to cause problems."

"I won't…" Drake said. "I won't cause any problems…"

"I'll take your word for it," Velvet said with a small smile. "So are you cool with bunking together?"

"Yeah…" Drake replied. "Um… are you taking the top… or the bottom…?"

"Is it cool if I take the top?" Velvet asked.

"Oh, um… yeah…" Drake answered. "Um… then I'll take the bottom…"

"Cool," Velvet nodded before turning to face Nikolai. "So you're alright with bunking on your own?"

"It is fine with me," Nikolai said as he proceeded to put down his luggage by the bottom bunk bed.

"So," Velvet began to unpack on the top bunk bed. "What are your names?"

"I'm Drake…" he introduced himself as he began to unpack in the bunk bed below Velvet.

"Nikolai," he followed as he sat down on his bed.

"Nice to meet you both," Velvet said as he sat down. "The name's Velvet, and I hope we can get along as cabin mates and teammates."

Neither of the other two guys said anything as the room was now filled with silence. All three of them were relaxing and doing their own thing until it was time for lunch.

* * *

**Confessional**

Drake - (he scratches his head) Um… I guess my male teammates don't seem… um… bad. (he sighs) I hope they don't think I'm… um… a bad person… I… I do want to make friends…

Nikolai - (he appears to have a notepad and a pencil on his lap) It seems that my two teammates do not appear to be harmless, based on first impressions. Of course, there is more than what meets the eye for them, not to mention everyone else in this competition. For now, I will focus on my team before shifting my attention towards the other competitors. (he starts writing down stuff in his notepad)

* * *

**Ferocious Foxes (Girl's Side) - Albienne, Gabriela, and Rosa**

"Well, ain't this look nice!" Albienne exclaimed as she walked in and began inspecting the area.

"How can you say this looks nice?" Gabriela crossed her arms and frowned. "This place looks like a fucking dump."

"I think this looks great!" Albienne exclaimed. "I ain't ever got to experience living inside a cabin, let alone at a summer camp!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I don't care," Gabriela said as she put her luggage on a bottom bunk bed. "I'm taking this bed."

Albienne placed her stuff on the other bottom bunk bed, but before she could start unpacking, she turned and saw Rosa come into the cabin.

Noticing that both girls were looking at her, Rosa only managed to say, "Hey there."

While Gabriela ignored her, Albienne greeted her with an enthusiastic voice and smile, "Howdy! My name is Albienne! I was ready to unpack all of my stuff, but feel free to have this bed if you want it!"

She only gave a cold stare as she replied, "Sure, I'll take it. Thank you."

"You're certainly welcome, darlin'!" Albienne wasn't fazed by her cold stare as she moved her belongings to the bed on top.

As Rosa put her stuff on the bottom bed and started unpacking, she ended up making eye contact with Gabriela, the cold stare still remaining.

"What the fuck are you looking at?" Gabriela asked, clearly not happy that Rosa was giving her a cold stare.

Rosa's cold stare turned into a glare as she responded, "Are you asking for an early elimination with that bitchy attitude?"

Gabriela crossed her arms and glared back, "You wanna start some shit with me? You're the one who wanted to look at me like I did something wrong to you."

Rosa's glare never left, "Congrats, you have won the award for most pettiest person of the year. How does it feel to achieve something for being a shitty person?"

Gabriela rolled her eyes, "I don't care, smartass. Maybe you should learn how to not look like a bitch with your facial expressions."

Right before Rosa could say anything, a familiar female voice interrupted the argument.

"This blanket feels like how my momma used to make 'em!" Albienne said as she laid down on the bed. "Sewn together by warm and soft fabric material!"

Although Albienne had inadvertently attempted to ease the tensions between Rosa and Gabriela, it was obvious that the room was not filled with comfortable silence.

* * *

**Confessional**

Gabriela - (has a glare on her face) Look, I don't give a shit if you even look at me the wrong way, I'm not tolerating any disrespectful bullshit. I won't hesitate to call them out if anybody thinks about rubbing me the wrong way… (she crosses her arms) and I certainly will fight back if they wanna go to that level.

Rosa - (she no longer has a glare, but her cold stare has returned) If there's one thing that irritates me, it's rude people like her. It's clear that she has more than an attitude problem, she wants to fulfill her dream of going to prison for assault over a facial expression. It's sad that she's willing to fight someone over something as stupid as that. (she takes a deep breath before continuing) At least Albienne is the opposite of her.

* * *

**Sinister Snakes (Guy's Side) - Alex, Leon, and Thiago**

All of the three guys walked into their new home and started observing around their area. As usual, the interior of their room appeared similar to the ones that have been shown so far: two bunk beds, wooden designs everywhere, a dirty window in the back, and a drawer to place their clothes.

"Heh. This doesn't look too bad," Alex commented.

"It is rather mediocre at best for me," Thiago said as he placed his luggage by a bottom bunk bed. "Does anybody mind me taking a bottom bed or having the whole bunk bed to myself? I did bring a lot of essentials."

"Sure!" Leon said.

"Feel free to have the bunk bed for yourself," Alex said with a smile before turning to face Leon. "Are you cool with being bunk mates?"

Leon nodded before snickering, "I wonder if anybody wanted to bring a briefcase full of briefs!"

Alex lets out a chuckle, "That would be pretty funny. I could imagine that person using one of their briefs as a slingshot or dressing up as Captain Underbriefs."

Leon continued to snicker, "Do you wanna hear a joke?"

Alex nodded, "I'm interested in hearing a joke."

"So what happened when the police saw a wanted criminal in boxers?" Leon asked with a grin.

"What happened?" Alex looked curious and intrigued.

"The criminal led them on a brief chase!" Leon answered before laughing at his own joke, Alex chuckling along.

"That was pretty funny," Alex said, letting out the last bits of his chuckle.

"Thanks!" Leon said before looking a bit confused. "Oh, I guess if you want an explanation, the criminal is in boxers and briefs are another type of underpants."

"Thank you for the explanation; you're pretty funny, man." Alex complimented him. "I think you'll go far in life with your sense of humor."

"Oh, thanks!" Leon was smiling at the praise Alex gave him, but he decided to switch topics. "So can I have the bottom bed?"

Alex nodded, "Go ahead, man. I will gladly take the top bed."

"Thank you!" Leon said as he finally put his stuff down.

"So I never got both of your names," Alex said as he climbed to the top bed and began unpacking.

"I'm Leon!" he greeted with a grin.

Thiago decided to look at the two guys and pause his unpacking, "I am Thiago, pleased to meet you both."

"It's nice to meet you too," Alex said. "I hope we're all able to get along and become friends by the end of this summer."

"I can't wait to tell you guys my jokes!" Leon said with a chuckle.

"Heh. I can't wait to hear them," Alex smiled before continuing to unpack.

All three men continued to unpack in comfortable silence, having gotten to know each other's names now. The three would continue to do so until it was time for lunch.

* * *

**Confessional**

Alex - So far, I really like both of my roommates. They seem like cool people to hang around and socialize with. I'm hoping neither of them will turn out to be cruel and malicious; (he frowns a little bit) being stabbed in the back by people you care about sucks. (his frown turns into an optimistic smile) But I'm confident neither of them would do that to me.

Thiago - (he appears to be tapping his finger against his chin) It seems that my male teammates appear to be kind, but nothing more than that so far. Once the competition gets underway, I hope I'll be able to learn more about the female teammates. (a serious expression appears on his face) I've learned that looks can be truly deceiving, so even if their exterior character matches the interior, I must still avoid dropping my guard.

* * *

**Sinister Snakes (Girl's Side) - Callie, May, and Xanthia**

"Wow! This cabin room looks nice!" May exclaimed as she and Callie walked into their room, despite the obvious low quality.

"Eh, it looks stable enough to live in," Callie said before grinning. "But if it's haunted and anything like a horror game, then I'll be ready!"

"H-Haunted?!" May cried out in fear as she started looking around nervously. "I-I never heard of this place b-being haunted!"

"I never said it was confirmed to be haunted," Callie corrected her. "It's most likely a normal cabin anyways."

"B-But there's still a chance it c-could be h-haunted!" May stuttered, still terrified. "I-I don't wanna s-sleep at night and risk g-getting attacked by something t-terrifying!"

"I'm sure the producers would know better than to put our lives in danger," Callie attempted to assure her. "They could end up facing a lawsuit and having to deal with a lawyer that's on Ace Attorney's level."

"O-Okay…" May began to calm down. "I-I'll trust your word for it."

"Cool," Callie gave a small smile before looking at the two bunk beds. "So which bed do you wanna pick? I'm cool with any one of them."

"Oh! Um… I was thinking about the bottom bed," May said before asking Callie a question. "Would you like to be my bunkmate?"

Callie shrugged, "Sure. The top bed works for me."

May smiled and sighed in relief, "Yay! I can't wait to bond and get to know you better! I hope we'll become good friends!"

"Same here," Callie said before throwing her stuff to the top bed. "The name's Callie, by the way."

"It's nice to meet you, Callie!" the two girls shook hands before she continued. "My name is May!"

As the two proceeded to unpack in comfortable silence, May decided to change the topic, "Do you remember where our other roommate went to, by any chance?"

"I think she was heading towards the bathroom after orientation ended." Callie answered.

And as if right on cue, their other roommate named Xanthia suddenly came into the cabin while walking on her hands. To their surprise, she got back on her feet and climbed onto the other top bunk bed. It appeared that her belongings were already there, but remained unpacked.

"Hello!" May greeted her. "You're really good at hand walking!"

"Thank you," Xanthia said as she grabbed her bag and began dumping out everything in there.

"What's your name?" May asked with a polite and sweet voice.

"Xanthia." she simply answered as her head rested on the pile of clothing.

"That's a really nice name!" May complimented. "My name is May!"

"The name's Callie," she introduced herself.

"Nice to meet you both," Xanthia said with a smile before grabbing the pillow and hopping down from her bed.

"Oh! Are you going outside?" May asked out of curiosity.

"Yeah, I'm gonna find something fun to do with this pillow," Xanthia answered.

"Ah, okay! Be careful with whatever you're gonna do!" May said, wanting to make sure her new friend wasn't going to do anything illegal or dangerous.

"Thank you for your concerns," Xanthia said to her, an assuring smile and tone. "You don't have to worry about me doing anything illegal or dangerous."

From there, she walked out of the cabin and left two girls to relax in comfortable silence. They would indulge in their own activity until it was time for lunch.

* * *

**Confessional**

Callie - The girls in my cabin don't seem bad to socialize and bond with. I don't know how long it'll be before both of them get eliminated, but I'm gonna enjoy spending time with those two until then. (a grin appears on her face) This summer will be the best one yet! (she pumps her arm up in the air)

Xanthia - (appears to be holding the same pillow and having a nonchalant expression) Being in that cabin was boring; there wasn't anything fun or thrilling to do. I don't mind talking to other people and interacting with them, but it gets boring after a while. Do I care though? (she shrugs) Not really, people come and go in our lives; bonds are formed and destroyed at any time. And life itself can end for anybody at any moment.

* * *

**Wild Wasps (Guy's Side) - Charles, Gabriel, and Therion**

The three male members of the Wasps team began to observe their surroundings after walking in; their facial expressions implied that the cabin wasn't too shabby for them.

"Gentlemen, allow me to begin the introductions," Gabriel was the first to speak up. "My name is Gabriel, and I hope it'll be a pleasure to form an affirmative bond with the two of you for this competition."

"Hey, my name's Charles." he greeted Gabriel as they shook hands. "It's nice to meet you."

"Therion," he gave them a small smile while shaking both of their hands. "I hope we can all get along as well."

It seemed that the three men were already getting along with each other, Gabriel now changing topics, "Now then, I would like to ask if either of you have preferences in regards to the sleeping arrangements?"

"I don't have any," Charles answered before asking Gabriel the same question. "How about you?"

"I don't have any preferences either," Gabriel said. "If you would like to request a certain bed, then feel free to do so."

"Is it cool if I have a bunk bed to myself?" Therion asked in a calm and polite manner. "I don't mind bunking with someone either."

Gabriel nodded, "Absolutely."

"Thank you, I appreciate it." Therion said to him as he began to unpack his belongings on the bottom bunk bed.

"Can I take the top bed?" Charles asked Gabriel, who nodded at him to indicate that he could have it.

"Then I will gladly accept the bottom bed," Gabriel announced, both men beginning to unpack in silence.

After a bit of silence, Charles was the one who broke it by asking a question, "So how do you guys feel about the camp?"

"I'm optimistic the camp will be able to accommodate," Gabriel had a small smile. "Even if the expectations are relatively low."

Therion paused his unpacking, "I don't think it's too bad for me. There could be some fun things to do here or on the island."

Charles nodded, "It's good that you guys feel positive about it."

The three gentlemen went back to unpacking their stuff, silence filling the room until it was time for lunch.

* * *

**Confessional**

Charles - (is sporting a small smile) My two roommates seem good so far. I don't want to get myself into trouble or drama with them… or anyone else either. I think if I stick to general topics, it won't happen to me… (he sighs in sadness) But I don't know which topics will always work… or what… what if I run out of things to talk about…? I… I don't know…

Therion - (appears to be laid-back against the confessional seat with a relaxed smile) Well, it appears that everything is going good for the most part. Maybe it won't be too bad… especially if there's games involved, similar to the ones I play at home. I would have preferred the hotel, but this place still works… as long as it doesn't get boring or hectic. (he chuckles)

* * *

**Wild Wasps (Girl's Side) - Ciara, Melissa, and Theresa**

"I have rolled a five!" Melissa announced as she ran into the cabin and began observing. "This cabin must be safe to live in during my adventure on the island! But there's a small chance evil monsters could attack this camp! I must avoid letting my defenses down!"

"Girl, there ain't any monsters to worry about!" Ciara said as she walked in, seeing Melissa pick up her die. "These producers ain't stupid enough to put our lives in danger, even if they're a bunch of liars."

"You never know what could happen!" Melissa exclaimed. "That's why I must always be prepared for every battle at any location!"

"Look, the only battles you're gonna have to deal with are the challenges!" Ciara was already getting frustrated. "This is an elimination competition against other people! No evil demon is gonna show up out of nowhere and try to kill us!"

"But if it does, then Dungeon Queen Melissa will be ready to use all of her power and skills to take it down!" Melissa exclaimed with confidence. "Protecting the other heroes and civilians is what I do! Especially if they're my friends!"

"I highly doubt anyone can take down an actual demon on its own, let alone by themselves." Ciara said to her as she climbed onto a top bunk bed. "Just as long as you focus on the challenges, we won't have a problem."

"You can count on me! The challenges will be an opportunity to train my skills and improve my stats!" Melissa decided to take the other top bunk bed. "May I acquire your name?"

"Ciara," she simply said as she began unpacking.

"Very nice to meet you, Ciara!" Melissa said with a smile. "Let us do our best in training so we can get the best rewards!"

"You know what, I like that attitude." Ciara admitted, impressed by her confidence and determination.

"Thanks!" Melissa said as she also started to unpack.

Not too long after, the third girl named Theresa came into the cabin while dragging her bag.

"Hey," Theresa said with a quiet and sad voice. "I went to the bathroom if you care about where I was."

"Hello there!" Melissa greeted. "I am Dungeon Queen Melissa, and would you like to accept my request of being bunkmates?"

Theresa shrugged, "Sure, I guess…"

"Awesome!" Melissa shouted. "May I also acquire your name?"

"It's Theresa," she said to her. "You don't have to remember it because I'll be gone tomorrow."

"Girl, what's up with you?" Ciara asked, a bit concerned about Theresa. "You seem like you're going through a bad day or something."

"I'm fine, it's not anything concerning…" Theresa answered, wanting to assure Ciara that everything was okay. "I just slept late last night because I was nervous about competing on national television."

"You best get your sleep then," Ciara told her sternly.

"It's a great way to replenish your health! Food and drinks are also another method!" Melissa added, wanting to help her as well.

"I could use a nap after lunch is over," Theresa said.

"Good." Ciara nodded.

* * *

**Confessional**

Ciara - (her arms are crossed and is sporting a serious expression) Look, I'm just tryna get through the team phase without losing any of the challenges. My teammates need to be at their best and put in effort because I'm not about to end up at that elimination ceremony anytime soon. Even if they're going through a rough time or whatever, this is a once in a lifetime competition for one million dollars! They gotta put their personal problems aside to focus on the game! If they can't do it and risk elimination for me, then I gotta vote you out! (she shrugs) It's as simple as that.

Theresa - (she has a frown and sighs out of sadness) I'm not tired at all… but I don't want anyone to be worried about me. It's not even just because I'll be the first one eliminated, I don't deserve to be friends with any of them. There's no point in trying to open up and socialize… they'll think I'm dead weight and want me gone in the end. They're pretending to be nice and feel bad for me so I can be a useful asset for them, nothing more than that. (she sighs again and then covers her head with her black hoodie)

* * *

As everyone finished unpacking, socializing, and doing their own thing, a familiar voice came from the Public Address speakers that were located in the middle of camp.

"Attention, all campers! It is now time for lunch! Pause on whatever you're doing and report outside of your cabins!" Chris's voice came out of the speakers in a very loud volume.

About a couple of minutes later, all twenty-four contestants reported to the center of camp, located just a few feet away from the two front cabins. They were all gathered into their teams, as ordered by Chris.

After doing a quick head count of the contestants, Chris finally began speaking, "Alright, campers! Now that everyone's here and in their teams, follow me to the main lodge!"

Chris led them into the main lodge; everyone took a look around, seeing that there were four slightly long tables with bench seating. At one end was a large, stone fireplace with an enormous set of moose antlers displayed above. The other end had two medium-sized windows, appearing to be dirty and left uncleaned for who knows how long. A long counter was attached to another wall, right below the cutout area and next to the condiments section. There was a double door that would lead to the kitchen; it was presumed to be swinging whenever the kitchen was in use, but lockable when it wasn't.

After a quick moment of looking around, Chris gathered their attention back to him, "As I had said earlier, you'll be meeting someone who's gonna be serving you for the duration of your stay!"

"And now that lunch has begun, I would like all of you to meet…" Chris paused a bit for dramatic purposes. "Chef Hatchet! Come out and meet the contestants!"

Norbert, or Chef Hatchet in this case, made his first appearance to the campers by kicking through the swinging, double door, startling many of them. Upon showing them his full appearance, several pairs of eyes widened at the chef's physique and intimidating glare. He was still sporting the white chef's hat, but appeared to be wearing a light green uniform, dark green pants, a white apron, and brown boots.

"Listen up, maggots!" Chef roared loudly. "Until your time comes to an end in this game, you'll eat whatever I make and serve you three times a day! I don't wanna hear you complain about your special needs or pickiness! You eat what I give you, or you don't eat at all!"

"Do I make myself clear?!" Chef asked in a demanding tone, many of the campers nodding their heads quickly in agreement. "Good! Now, get your butts in a single-file line immediately!"

It took a little longer than expected since there were twenty-four people together in one room, but everyone had eventually gathered into a single-file line, some more reluctant to do so than others.

Seeing that they were all lined up, Chef appeared to be satisfied and continued speaking, "When it's your turn, grab a tray, get your grub and drink, and sit your butts down! And don't even think about giving me an attitude!"

"You will be sitting in your teams during the meals," Chris added, a smile appearing on his face. "I'll return here in forty-five minutes! Enjoy your meal, campers!"

Chris left the lodge through the front door, leaving the campers by themselves with the burly chef, who menacingly retreated to behind the counter.

The first unfortunate victim in line was Gabriela, who kept a tough expression and was given the first serving of…

Sloppy Joe's.

Upon receiving rather mediocre quality food, not to mention a small cup of pink lemonade, Gabriela didn't seem happy with what she was given.

"What kind of five-star quality food is this?" Gabriela asked in an upset tone.

But it was a big mistake to daringly ask a question like that, as Chef's glare turned into a small smirk, "This is five-star quality food… five out of ten stars, to be precise."

Gabriela glared at him and wanted to bark back, "What kind of bullshit is that?! You guys are a bunch of fucking -"

"Enough!" Chef thundered, immediately shutting up Gabriela and scaring several of the other campers. "What did I say about not giving me attitude?! It won't kill you to stuff down some bread and meat!"

Gabriela didn't dare to aggravate the cook any further, but flipped him off as she went to her table. Chef decided that she wasn't worth the trouble and ignored the rude gesture, moving on to serve the next person.

* * *

**Confessional**

Chef - (is still sporting the same, intimidating expression as he grumbles) Many of those maggots are already getting on my nerves… they act like little brats over some petty shit. (he shakes his head and sighs) They better start shaping up soon, or God help them and show some mercy… especially for some of them.

After everyone had gotten their meal, each of the campers sat with their respective teams. To clarify which table is which, the Badass Birds sat at the table closer to the front door and fireplace; the Ferocious Foxes sat at the table next to them, closer to the front door, but near the two dirty windows instead. The Sinister Snakes sat at the table behind the Birds, close to the kitchen and fireplace; and finally, the Wild Wasps sat behind the Foxes, close to the kitchen and windows.

* * *

**Badass Birds Table (Abigail, Eliade, Helena, Mason, Olivia, and Tom)**

The six members of the Birds were eating peacefully… for the most part. The three girls were conversing with each other and enjoying each other's company, as indicated by their smiles and laughter. Eliade was staring at his food while Tom was attempting to eat in peace, being unable to do so because Mason kept throwing bits of his sloppy Joe into his mouth every time he opened it.

As Mason snickered, Tom gave him a disapproving look, "Feel free to deprive yourself of any nutrients. You'll wish you had some protein once your stomach starts growling later on."

Mason had his signature grin, "It's fun giving other people dog food! Plus, think of it as me giving back to the community."

Abigail frowned at the whole situation, "That's not cool, nor was it funny at all."

Mason chuckled, "I think you're doing a good job of portraying the white knight!"

Abigail's frown turned into a small glare, "I'm not acting like a white knight. Unlike you, I have basic decency to treat good people with kindness."

Mason's grin never disappeared, "Amazing! From white knight to society's official moral compass, you're doing a great job of transitioning roles!"

It was clear to Abigail that Mason was mocking her, so the tension between them grew worse, and it was causing some discomfort among their team.

"Let's not break into a fight, you two!" Helena attempted to ease the tensions in a kind and polite manner. "We can talk this out and fix the issue!"

While Helena was dealing with Abigail and Mason against each other, Olivia's attention diverted from the three to Eliade after noticing he hadn't touched his food yet.

"Hey, um…" Olivia never got his name yet. "Are you okay? If you don't want to eat it, I won't judge or say anything."

Eliade continued to gaze at the food while Tom was busy eating and drinking to socialize.

But as Olivia was about to ask again, Tom tapped on Eliade's shoulder to get his attention.

Eliade shakes his head slightly and returns to reality, "Is there something you need?"

"Are you going to eat your meal?" Tom asked, gesturing to the untouched food and drink.

"Oh, thank you for reminding me," Eliade gave a small smile to Tom.

But when he took one bite of the sloppy Joe and swallowed it, he immediately felt pain in his stomach.

"Oh, no…" Eliade said quietly as he clutched his stomach.

But Tom or Olivia didn't notice he was in pain until a couple of tears started coming out of his eyes.

"Are you okay?" Olivia asked out of concern.

"My stomach hurts really badly," Eliade said. "It hurts, but I don't want to throw up…"

Olivia stood up and was ready to help him out, "Let's get you to an infirmary. If you need to throw up, let me know and I'll hold your hair back."

"Tell them that he suffered an upset stomach because of food poisoning," Tom told Olivia as she began to walk with him to the infirmary.

Olivia gave him a thumbs up as she and Eliade left the main lodge, leaving Tom to finish eating his meal. Meanwhile, Helena had managed to calm things down between Abigail and Mason. Eventually, all of them finished and went their separate ways.

* * *

**Ferocious Foxes Table (Albienne, Drake, Gabriela, Nikolai, Rosa, and Velvet)**

After getting yelled at by Chef Hatchet, Gabriela sat down and ate her meal, now being in a bad mood. Drake and Nikolai ate in silence, neither of them engaging in a conversation with anybody. Albienne was happily enjoying her meal while Rosa and Velvet were neutral about it.

"This is some tasty sloppy Joe's!" Albienne said with delight. "It's just like how the diner makes it! Cooked and fresh from the best!

Albienne then took a sip of her drink and commented, "My goodness, this pink lemonade tastes better than water on a hot, summer day!"

"Yeah, the pink lemonade tastes pretty good." Velvet agreed with her. "You have a local diner back at home?"

"I sure do, darlin'!" Albienne replied cheerfully. "My mama takes me there every weekend! It sure can be rowdy though!"

"That's pretty cool," Velvet smiled at her. "There's some popular restaurants in my area that can get crowded on the weekends."

"The food must be great if a lot of folks come by!" Albienne said as she and Velvet continued to converse.

Gabriela had already finished her meal in quick time, but as she stood up to leave the main lodge, her eyes caught gaze with Rosa's. Neither of them said anything, but they were giving each other cold stares. The tension was still there, even if it was non-verbal.

"Do you want something?" Rosa asked in a cold tone.

"You're still looking for a problem?" Gabriela countered.

"I'm not the one who got yelled at by Chef," Rosa stated. "It'll be déjà vu for you in the evening since you won't bother fixing your attitude."

"You keep saying the same bullshit," Gabriela rolled her eyes in annoyance. "I already got the hint that you don't like my attitude. That's your problem then."

"Guilty as charged," Rosa said, the cold stare turning into a glare.

"Whatever, keep digging your grave with your smartass comments." Gabriela began to walk away.

Rosa continued to glare at Gabriela until she was by the door; after she left, the glare reverted to a cold stare as she continued to eat her lunch. During the whole argument, Nikolai was observing and listening on because he was sitting next to them, going back to his food every now and then to avoid suspicion.

After finishing and putting his tray away, Nikolai said to himself quietly as he walked out of the main lodge, "I'll have to take notes of what had just occurred."

Back in the cafeteria, it was only Drake and Velvet at the table. Both men were about done with their lunches.

"So how was the food?" Velvet asked, beginning a conversation with the tall, quiet guy.

"It was good…" Drake said while putting his tray away.

"I'm glad you liked it," Velvet smiled.

"Thanks…" Drake replied. "Um… did you… um… like it…?"

"I thought the food was good," Velvet answered. "The pink lemonade was one of the best drinks I've ever tasted."

"Cool…" Drake gave a small smile. "Um… that's good…"

Both men left the main lodge and continued to talk, Velvet doing most of the talking.

* * *

**Sinister Snakes Table (Alex, Callie, Leon, May, Thiago, and Xanthia)**

May was the first person from her team to sit down, gesturing for Callie to sit down next to her. The arrogant gamer took a seat next to her with a small smile. From there, the rest of the team followed suit in sitting down, Leon socializing with Thiago and Alex while Xanthia ate in silence.

"This looks really good!" May exclaimed, referring to the sloppy Joe and pink lemonade.

"Let's see if it tastes as good," Callie added, taking the first bite of her lunch and smiling after swallowing the chewed food. "Yup, this does taste good! It's like if Cooking Papa made it in real life!"

May smiled after seeing the positive reaction from Callie and proceeded to take a bite, "Mmm! It's really delicious!"

Callie nodded and both girls continued to eat quietly, enjoying the lunch Chef made for them. After a little while, May decided to continue the conversation with her.

"Do you think you can tell me more about Cooking Papa?" May asked, curious and intrigued. "I only know that it's a video game where a character named Papa teaches you how to cook."

Callie grinned when she heard her mention a familiar video game, "I would love to! It's cool that you're interested!"

"Thank you so much!" May exclaimed as she took a sip of the pink lemonade. "I saw Hailey Virus play it in a commercial! It wasn't a long commercial, but it caught my interest!"

"My friends told me that the Nintendo SD was at a fifty-percent discount as of yesterday," Callie informed her. "It's gonna be like that until the beginning of fall season, which is on Sunday, September 23rd."

"That's amazing!" May said, excitement on her face. "I'll be able to buy it once the competition is over!"

Meanwhile, the three guys of the Snakes team were talking to each other. Leon was currently in the midst of telling a joke.

"So why did the man thank his fingers during his speech?" Leon asked Alex and Thiago.

"Heh, how come he thanked his fingers?" Alex asked, going along with the joke while Thiago was eating and listening.

"Because he could always count on them!" Leon started laughing at his own joke, Alex and Thiago chuckling along.

"Haha, that was pretty funny, man." Alex complimented him with a smile while sipping his drink.

"I agree, it was very good and creative." Thiago added.

Leon appeared to be confused at the positive reactions before grinning, "Thanks! To clarify, the man is thanking his fingers for supporting him; counting on them means he can trust them to help him. And you can also count things on your fingers."

"Thank you for the explanation," Alex said before standing up. "I'm going to get a refill, so I'll be right back."

As he stood up and went to ask Chef for more pink lemonade, Thiago decided to ask Leon, "Do you think I can ask you something, Leon?"

Leon smiled and replied, "Sure!"

"Is there a reason why you explained your joke?" Thiago asked. "And I don't mean that in a negative manner."

"Well… it's just natural that I explain every joke." Leon answered before the smile turned into a grin. "Like nature!"

"I ask this because you didn't have to provide an explanation," Thiago said to him. "A good joke, like yours for example, does more than making your audience laugh; when executed correctly, it's easy for them to understand. If the laughs are loud and positive, then you've done your part successfully."

"Oh! Wow! Um, thank you for the advice!" Leon said, impressed with how he put and explained it. "How do you know all of this?"

"The concept of making an excellent joke applies to other categories, to a certain extent." Thiago answered.

"It does?" Leon asked, curious about his statement.

Thiago nodded and before he could say more, Alex came back with a cup filled with pink lemonade.

"I have returned," Alex announced in a playful and goofy manner. "And with more tastiness."

While the three men continued where they left off with their conversation, Xanthia was nowhere to be seen at the table. Instead, she appeared to be walking towards Chef, her sloppy Joe and pink lemonade nearly all gone.

But before she could request anything, Chef gave her a menacing look and said, "You're not finished with your meal. You ain't getting any refills until then."

"I'll finish it," Xanthia shrugged before shoving the remaining sloppy Joe into her mouth and pink lemonade after chewing it. "It's all gone now."

"Sloppy Joe or pink lemonade?" Chef asked with a very deep voice.

"Just pink lemonade please," Xanthia requested as the large chef took the cup from her and refilled it, the machine sitting next to a small pile of sloppy Joe meat.

When Chef came back with her refilled cup, Xanthia's tray was no longer in her hands.

"Thank you," Xanthia said with a smile as she walked towards the condiments section.

At the condiments section, Xanthia grabbed a salt and ketchup packet before putting the cup down. She grabbed a plastic spoon and began putting the iodized salt into her drink after ripping it open. After that, she opened the ketchup packet and did the same thing. She grabbed the spoon and began mixing her new drink, creating a red-and-pink appearance in her cup.

Thankfully, no one else saw her doing it except for Chef, who narrowed his eyes and muttered, "She better not be doing anything stupid or dangerous."

She drank the whole thing in one round, causing Chef to widen his eyes in slight disturbance and disgust. It was even more surprising that she appeared to be fine after drinking something that would normally upset a person's stomach.

"I don't get paid enough for this…" Chef sighed as he went back into the kitchen.

* * *

**Wild Wasps Table (Charles, Ciara, Gabriel, Melissa, Therion, and Theresa)**

"Are you okay?" Melissa asked Ciara as they sat down.

"That asshole wanna be really disrespectful to me just because I asked for my serving to be smaller!" Ciara told her, referring to Chef Hatchet.

"There will be another chance to pick a better choice!" Melissa attempted to cheer her up. "You can regain his good side in a few hours during dinner time! It's never too late to get on someone's good side!"

Ciara waved her hand dismissively, "I don't care if I get on his good side at this point. If he wanna get butthurt and uptight at a simple request, then that ain't my problem. I'm not here to please everyone."

Melissa had already taken a bite of the sloppy Joe, "This is very delicious! Once I'm done with this meal, my health bar will be back at full again!"

Gabriel, Charles, and Therion sat next to the girls; the three were socializing with each other, similar to the guys on the Snakes team.

"This is very scrumptious," Gabriel said as he started eating his sloppy Joe. "It's magnificent that Mr. Hatchet can create an entrée that's pleasing for the eyes and mouth."

"I agree," Therion added as he munched on his food. "The pink lemonade tastes good as well."

"That's good," Charles smiled a bit, seeing if his roommates liked the food before taking a bite. "This tastes good for me as well."

Gabriel nodded, "Since Mr. McLean has declared that there won't be a challenge today, I'm curious about your plans for the remainder of the day."

"I'm not sure yet," Therion answered. "I might take a walk around the island and then relax in my cabin until dinner."

"That is an excellent choice," Gabriel liked Therion's plan for the whole day. "My main plan is to also go on a casual stroll around the island to become more familiar with its environment and surroundings."

"That sounds good," Therion smiled a bit at him before going back to his lunch.

"I think I'll go on a walk too," Charles added. "It feels warm outside today."

Gabriel nodded, "The weather is marvelous today, so that is another good reason to go on a walk."

"Wait a minute," the three guys were interrupted by a female voice, belonging to a girl named Ciara. "Wasn't that Theresa girl sitting next to you guys about a couple of minutes ago?"

They looked over and saw that Theresa was no longer at the table; her tray wasn't even there.

"She was sitting next to me," Therion informed the team. "But it seemed like she didn't want to talk to anybody."

Ciara sighed, "That girl is something else."

Speaking of Theresa, she appeared to be sitting by the cabin steps with her lunch and tray. She looked down at her meal and sighed in sadness.

"I'm so stupid for getting lunch," Theresa muttered. "I don't even feel hungry or thirsty at all…"

"I guess I'll save it for the evening," she concluded with a plan before heading into her cabin room.

But as she attempted to open the door with one hand, an unfortunate accident had occurred. Her other hand was unable to balance the tray and her whole meal dropped to the ground. The sloppy Joe was ruined, and the pink lemonade spilled all over.

Rather than getting upset, Theresa sighed in defeat, "I'm not even surprised it happened to me. I guess it was karma getting me for not sitting with my team."

She picked up the food and cup to find a nearby trash can. The least she could do is clean up after herself and not be a litterbug.

After a bit of walking, she found a trash can inside the washroom. As she dumped the contents into it and began to walk back towards the main lodge, a familiar voice suddenly came from the Public Address speakers.

* * *

"Attention, campers!" Chris's voice came from the P.A. system. "I am unable to return to the main lodge because of important matters, but you all now have free time for the remainder of the day! And just so you know, dinner starts at six in the evening! I'll see you campers tomorrow afternoon!"

It was a good thing Chris couldn't come back to the main lodge because many of the contestants left the building before lunch was over. One could assume that free time began after finishing their first meal at Camp Wawanakwa, but it would still be awkward for the host to return and make an announcement with less than twenty-four people.

And speaking of which, it turns out that Chris didn't have important matters at all! He was simply in the middle of enjoying his gourmet lunch, featuring himself, Matthew, Trish, Thomas, and even Chef Hatchet as well. Today's course was none other than spaghetti and meatballs; a small bowl of pasta and salad being the sides, and a large cup of pink lemonade.

"So this building is where we meet up to discuss important matters?" Chris asked, munching down on his spaghetti. "But I gotta say, this is really delicious!"

"Easy there, Mr. McLean." Matt told him with a chuckle. "It's better to savor every bite and absorb the flavors instead of doing that."

"This is the best pasta I've ever tasted!" Chris had switched over to the small bowl of pasta.

"You can thank Mr. Hatchet and Mr. Kant," Matt gestured to Chef, who merely gave the host a neutral and serious look. "They're both amazing cooks who can never disappoint with their skills!"

"Thanks, Chef!" Chris smiled at the large chef, who only nodded in return. "By the way, who's Mr. Kant?"

"Solfeggio Kant is the assistant head chef to Norbert over here," Thomas answered while taking a sip of the pink lemonade. "In case if he's unavailable, Solfeggio takes over to serve the contestants as head chef."

"He ain't too bad of a person either," Chef added. "Hard to understand at times, but a respectable and passionate man."

"It's impressive that he's learning a lot of English in a short amount of time," Trish said, implying that Solfeggio is a quick learner. "How long has he been here in Canada again, Norbert?"

"Four months," Chef simply told her.

"That's definitely impressive," Matt added before smiling at the host. "I would say it's as impressive as this office room! Tell me, Mr. McLean, how does it look?"

"This looks awesome, Mr. Westwood!" Chris complimented the room with a smile. "For an office room though, it is really large."

Indeed, the room appeared to be large; it looked similar to the lobby room's design at the building where Chris was interviewed, elegant and five-star quality. It also appeared as if the room where Chris was interviewed got a serious upgrade. Comfortable chairs, a polished table, an eight-hundred dollar chandelier hanging above, and plenty of classical paintings around the walls.

"It's more than just an office room, Chris." Thomas informed him, wanting to explain more. "This is where most of our meetings will be held during the competition. It's also a dining room for all of us as well; the interns will be serving us our meals, so there's no need to move around a lot."

"Have you ever watched Fresh Princess of Bel Air?" Matt asked Chris, a curious expression on his face.

"I've heard of it," Chris answered with a confused look.

"We'll be living like the Shanks's family for the summer," Matt said with a small smirk. "The interns will serve and pamper us while we enjoy ourselves in a mansion-like building. And as long as we keep up the effort to make Total Drama amazing, we won't have to worry about going poor."

"Of course, we won't be one of those types of rich people," Trish sneakily glared at Matt.

"Absolutely not!" Matt said with a laugh before returning to his signature smile again. "But I can assure you that this will be the best summer of your life!"

"Assuming that you maintain a consistent level of high and hard working effort," Thomas added with a chuckle that seemed a bit scarier than expected.

Chris nodded and continued to eat without saying anything, thinking about everything the others had told him.

* * *

**01:10 PM - (Eliade and Olivia)**

Way before Chris made his announcement through the P.A. system, an incident that involved a sloppy Joe had led to Eliade having an upset stomach. Olivia was there to take him to the infirmary; thankfully, he never threw up while on the way there.

By the time they got there, no one was currently being treated at the moment. Well, there was a patient resting in bed, he appeared to be doing fine and without any problems at the moment.

"Excuse me, is there anyone available to treat him right now?" Olivia asked, hoping that someone would respond.

"Of course!" a female voice answered as she approached the two. "Hello there! How can I help you two?"

The brown skinned woman appeared to be tall, young, and beautiful, her skin being the most attractive feature. She has slightly large brown eyes and her long, light brown hair appears to be curly from top to bottom. Her current attire consists of: a short-sleeved nurse uniform that's mostly white with the outlines being red, a white skirt to go along with it, and black shoes.

"Hi, do you have any medication or treatment for an upset stomach?" Olivia asked, gesturing to Eliade.

"Of course, hun!" the presumed nurse answered. "How bad is the upset stomach exactly?"

"It happened when I took a bite of my lunch," Eliade began to explain while clutching his stomach. "I started to feel mild pain in my stomach, but it didn't get worse for me."

"Oh, dear!" she gasped before giving them a small smile. "I have the perfect solution for your food poisoning problem!"

She grabbed a pill bottle before quickly heading back to them, "This is the medication that will not only take care of his upset stomach right now, but in the future as well! These are antidiarrheal pills; take one every time your tummy starts hurting after eating or drinking."

After giving the bottle to Eliade, she grabbed a cup of water before approaching them again, "And when you're about to take one, make sure you have some water with you! The pills will reduce the frequency and urgency of bowel movements."

"Is it guaranteed to get rid of his problem with only one pill?" Olivia asked, curious and hopeful that she'll say yes.

"It depends on the situation and person," the nurse answered. "For him, it'll take one pill and plenty of water. So after you take the medication, make sure you're staying hydrated!"

Eliade nodded and smiled, "I will. Thank you very much, miss."

The nurse giggled and said in a sweet voice, "Of course, hun! Feel free to come back anytime if you need medical treatment!"

"Do you have a preferred name, miss?" Eliade asked in a soft and polite manner.

"You can call me Nurse Angel!" she gave another giggle before continuing to speak. "You two seem to be very sweet people!"

"It's nice to meet you, Nurse Angel." Olivia said before introducing herself. "My name's Olivia, and I'm one of the contestants for Total Drama!"

"That's very exciting to hear, Olivia!" Angel said to her before looking at Eliade. "And how about you, sir?"

"I prefer to be called Eli," Eliade said to her. "I'm also competing in the show."

"It's very awesome to meet you both!" Angel said with a bright and cheerful smile. "I hope you two do well in the competition! Even if you don't win, the most important thing is having fun!"

"Thank you for the support," Olivia said before beginning to head out. "Have a good day, Nurse Angel!"

"Bye!" she waved as Eliade followed suit with the pill bottle in one hand and a cup of water in the other.

As they were walking, Olivia decided to converse with him, "Do you want me to hold the cup for you?"

"That would be very helpful," Eliade answered as he gave her the cup of water and opened the bottle.

After Eliade had swallowed the pill and water, they continued to converse with each other while walking, "Thank you for taking me to the infirmary, miss."

Olivia smiled at him, "No problem. Do you wanna head back to the main lodge?"

"I would prefer not to," Eliade said as they were heading further away from the main lodge anyways. "The food would bring a tragic ending to the story… it should be let go before it's too late."

"What do you mean exactly by 'tragic ending'?" Olivia asked, a mixture of confusion and curiosity on her facial expression.

Eliade began to explain as they continued to walk.

* * *

**01:25 PM - (Gabriela)**

It hadn't been a good afternoon for Gabriela so far, given that she was tricked into staying at a summer camp and eating mediocre quality food. But it was her new conflict with Rosa that really put her in a bad mood.

She was currently walking by herself to explore more of the camp and island, "Might as well learn more about this place…"

But in the midst of her walk on the shore that was leading around to the very high cliff, she heard a voice cry out, "Excuse me, ma'am!"

She looked around and turned her head in all different directions before finding the source — a slightly young man that was wearing a construction worker uniform with a light pale skin tone and absolutely no hair at all. He was a bit far from her, but she could still see that the man was looking at her while standing on a medium-sized red-and-white boat.

Regardless of whatever he looked like exactly, she turned around and began to walk away, having more important things to do. That was until she heard his voice again…

"Can you please help us, ma'am?" the male voice called out again, Gabriela now knowing that he was asking her for help.

She cursed to herself and decided to head towards where he was, making sure to keep her guard up in case he tried to do something.

"What do you want?" Gabriela asked with an annoyed expression after reaching where his boat was, which appeared to be about a few yards away from the shore.

The man lets out a relieved sigh, "Oh, thank you! So me and my partner were trying to find a place called Wawanakwa Island, but we had so much difficulty that we ended up getting lost and wasting gas! Thankfully, we managed to find this location before our boat stopped in the middle of the ocean!"

"This is Wawanakwa Island," Gabriela told him bluntly.

"Really?!" the man asked in shock and excitement. "Are you sure we landed at Wawanakwa Island?! Because we're working for Total Drama and we didn't want to be late on our first day!"

"I just said we're at Wawanakwa Island," Gabriela groaned out of annoyance.

"Oh, okay! I'll take your word for it! Thank you so much for helping us!" The man appeared to be genuine with his appreciation. "I'm really sorry for interrupting whatever you were doing!"

"Whatever," Gabriela walked away without saying anything else, muttering more complaints. "Goddamn, he was annoying."

"Alright, Project! Let's go!" the man called for someone's name, presumed to be his partner's. "We can't afford to get on our bosses' bad side already!"

Gabriela turned her head slightly as she continued to walk, seeing that there was another person with him. This tan skinned man appeared to be very muscular and tall, not to mention sporting two metal, prosthetic arms. He has slightly small blue eyes and his short, black hair appears to be in a military hairstyle. His current attire consists of: a construction worker uniform with blue jeans, and silver sneakers.

"Shut up, I already got the memo." Project told the man. "Now quit being annoying and start walking."

She turned her head back and decided to explore more of the camp, "I hope I don't ever run into him again. That fucker's gonna bother me and waste my time."

* * *

**01:50 PM - (Theresa)**

A few minutes after the announcement, Theresa decided to not return to the main lodge. If that meant she was gonna have to deal with a plastic tray, then so be it. At the moment, she was currently sitting down on the sand that was close to the dock, holding a tray.

She looked out at the water and sighed, "I'm sorry for all of the shitty humans who polluted and damaged your ecosystem. You don't deserve to be treated like crap; I'm the one who should be treated like shit."

She lets out another sigh, "I never thought talking to something that can't talk back would make me feel less like shit. But this competition's main aspect somehow has to be the social game… not the mental or even physical component."

"I'll just go back into my cabin and stay there for the rest of my day," Theresa stood up and began to walk back.

But before she could even get onto grass and ground territory, she ended up accidentally bumping into someone.

Both of them fell to the ground and Theresa saw that she ended up bumping into Xanthia, who had dropped a few items along with her pillow.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to bump into you!" Theresa began apologizing quickly. "It was my fault for making you drop your stuff!"

"Don't worry, it's all good." Xanthia said with a smile while standing back up. "I just dropped a few items, so no harm done at all."

"Are you sure? Did I end up hurting you?" Theresa continued to ask questions.

"You didn't hurt me at all," Xanthia assured her as she picked up her items. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Theresa said to her. "I didn't get hurt either."

"That's good," Xanthia said before beginning to walk away. "I'm gonna go relax on the beach."

Theresa began to walk, but stopped and decided to think for a moment before finalizing her answer, "I-I'm Theresa!"

Xanthia turned and nodded, "My name's Xanthia."

After Xanthia turned and continued to walk, Theresa once again felt hesitation in conversing more with her. She thought about it for a moment again, but this time, her answer was to not say anything and go back to her cabin room.

"Why did I give my name to her…?" Theresa muttered while walking, before realizing that she dropped the tray. "I'm not gonna go back and get it. It's my fault for forgetting and bumping into her."

Eventually, she went back into her room and decided to take a nap.

* * *

**02:00 PM - (Xanthia)**

A few minutes after her interaction with Theresa, Xanthia settled down on a particular spot at the beach. It was further away from the dock as she put her items down; she had her pillow, a couple of plastic spoons, and five salt packets.

She looked out at the water in front of her, "Time to have some fun for today."

She opened a salt packet and dumped it all into her mouth, not feeling the need to throw up or go to the infirmary. Then again, she did drink pink lemonade with salt and ketchup mixed with it.

But before she could do something that was gonna involve the lake, she noticed something while turning her head slightly…

Theresa's tray.

"Looks like I won't need these anymore," Xanthia left the stuff behind and walked over to the tray.

As she picked up the tray and walked into the water, she decided to test out something by dropping it. The tray was floating, so she decided to follow it up by putting her stomach onto it…

No surprise, her weight ended up sinking the tray; her whole body fell into the water and soaked her clothes for the second time today.

Rather than complaining, she shrugged and tossed the tray behind her, "Don't care for it anymore."

* * *

The P.A. system came to life, "Listen up, you fucking campers! I don't give a shit on whatever you're doing right now! You will all report to the center of camp! Don't know where it is?! It's in front of those two cabins! You better get your asses there in five minutes, or else you're gonna get a heavy punishment!"

Xanthia was attempting to see how far she could swim, but the sudden announcement made her decide to change her mind.

"I don't know who that person is," she said to herself. "But I might as well have more fun with whatever's gonna happen."

Thankfully for the campers, all of them gathered in front of the cabins before the five minutes were up. Many of them didn't seem happy since it was supposed to be free time today. There was chatter among many of the contestants, trying to figure out what's going on.

"That didn't sound like Chris at all," Abigail said to Alex, who nodded in agreement.

"Could the voice belong to someone that has higher authority than him?" Helena asked Gabriel and Leon.

"That is a very high possibility," Gabriel answered.

After another minute or so of waiting, someone approached the campers. One thing's for sure, it wasn't Chris McLean at all. In fact, it wasn't Chef or any of the producers and executive producers.

The olive skinned man appeared to be tall, intimidating, and insanely muscular, taking his job as a high-level cop very seriously. He has black shades over his eyes and his blue-and-black hat appears to be covering his brown hair. His current attire consists of: a short-sleeved blue cop uniform with some badges pinned to his uniform, a black bulletproof vest over it, black pants, and camo shoes.

He already appeared to be terrifying on his own, but there were four bodyguards standing near him as well. They weren't physically built as well as the leader cop, but one would be smart enough not to fight any of them individually.

"Listen up and keep your mouths shut!" the leader cop roared to all of the contestants. "If any of you give me or my partners even the slightest bit of an attitude, you'll be eliminated from this game immediately!"

He and the others gave them a menacing glare to make sure nobody would dare say or do anything, "Good! Now I know that Chris said you'll have free time for the rest of today, but me and the other executive producers have decided to overrule his decision! With the change of plans implemented, there will be a challenge today! Now, get into your teams and I don't wanna hear any complaining out of anybody!"

The contestants quickly got into their teams and the leader cop smirked in satisfaction, "You people aren't too bad. Now, in just a short moment, Chris will be coming out to explain today's challenge! In the meantime, we will be staying here and I better not hear one word out of you people!"

He chuckled and had an evil smirk, "Trust me, the challenge will be more frightening than me and my partners."

**To be continued…**

* * *

**I will admit that this was the most difficult chapter to write so far! It was mainly because this is the most dialogue all of the contestants have spoken so far in this story. I kept going back to your application(s) to make sure there won't be any out-of-character moments, but I'm proud and happy with what I've written! And yes, even though the chapter ended on a "to be continued", the next one coming out will be the first part of the second episode.**

**Speaking of which, I wanted to make my SYOC story stand out from all of the other stories by not only giving them interactions outside of challenges, but by taking risks and pulling shocking moves like the five high-level cops. Just so you know, I'm going by a realistic time approach, so don't think that I'm giving special treatment to Eliade, Olivia, Gabriela, Theresa, or Xanthia! Everyone is gonna have an impact in the story and will be developed accordingly! If you didn't like the twist I pulled, let me know and I'll fix my mistake in future stories.**

**Also, the scenes of each team during the cabin and main lodge part are in the same time. The Badass Birds unpacked around the same time as the other teams, and the events that occurred among the teams during the lunch period are about the same time. I hope you understand in case if you were confused.**

**Now moving on to the two questions!**

**Question 01. Would you want to stay at Camp Wawanakwa on Wawanakwa Island for the purpose of competing to win one million dollars?**

**Question 02. How did I do with your character(s)?**

**Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Feel free to leave positive feedback and/or criticism in your review or through PM! Questions and concerns will be answered privately. Until then, take care!**


	6. Important Announcement

**Hello there. I know you've probably been waiting for a new chapter since the middle of April. And originally, it was supposed to be uploaded this week… two days ago, actually. But despite my promise, I wasn't able to make any progress for it. So with that being said, I have some bad news for you.**

…

…

…

**I'm taking a break from this story. It'll be going on hiatus for the time being. I don't know how long I'll be gone, to be honest. Maybe it could be a short time… or even a long time. Just know that this story is being put on hold right now. No, it's not being cancelled or abandoned, so don't worry. At the moment, I'm going through personal issues… like, plenty of issues. And the last thing I wanna do is destroy my own mental and physical health. I also don't wanna put out low-quality chapters; you deserve better than that, especially for all of the support you've been giving me.**

**So yeah. I'm sorry for making you wait almost a month, only to drop an announcement. I can only ask that you won't abandon my story. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to ask me privately. Until then, take care.**


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